f 


'^ 


•^ 


(^ 

u 

^ 
\ 

<D 

•   a 

^ 

"v 

O    «TJ 

a\  0) 

Ni 

00  J 

V^^ 

xH 

1     0) 

V 


o 
o 


in  tH 

CO  00 

m    ^ 
•^  O 


-H 

rH 

< 


^ 

M 

in 

Q) 

■H 

G 

(N 

-H 

O 

O 

r^ 

fH 

e  +j 

tH 

rH 

0 

^ 

•H 

e 

(U 

« 

(TJ 

Z 

PQ  PQ  < 

^ 


a^^a,^ 


A  MEMOIR 


or 


ADELAIDE   LEAPER   NEWTON. 


REV.   JOHN    BAILLIE, 

mmBTEB    OP    THE    FEEE    CnUBOH    OK   SCOTLAND,    I.OKDOM; 
ABTUOn    OF    "SIF-MOIRS    OF    UKWITSOX,"    ETC. 


"He  is  the  happy  man  wliosc  life  e'en  now 
Shows  somewhat  of  that  happier  life  to  come; 
Content,  indeed,  to  sojourn  while  he  must 
Below  the  skies,  but  having  there  his  home." — Cowpbs, 


NEW  YORK: 

BOBERT  CARTER  &  BROTHERS, 
No.  530  BROADWAY. 

18c  9 


"We  can  make  our  lives  sublime. 
And,  dcpartinij,  loave  bfihind  us 

Footprints  on  the  sunds  of  Time: 
F?ot]irlnts  which  pcrluips  another. 

Sailing  o'er  life's  solemn  main, 
A  forlorn  and  shipwrecked  brother. 

Seeing,  shall  take  heart  again." 

LONGFEIXO*. 


■  itntoTrrED   »r  printed  bt 

TllllVAH   n.   DMIld,  K.    O.    J  E  X  K  I  !<  Ir 

BJ  A  M  Uickmau  SjreeL  24  Frankfort  St. 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


The  Authoress  of  the  "  Song  of  Solomon  compared 
with  other  Parts  of  Scripture"  scarcely  needs  to  be 
introduced  to  the  Christian  public.  But  many  will 
be  interested  to  trace,  in  her  personal  life,  a  singu- 
larly vivid  pattern  of  the  heavenly  walk  there  so 
touchingly  portrayed.  It  is  in  compliance  with  a 
widely  expressed  desire  to  have  that  mind  and  heart 
embalmed  that  the  present  Memoir  appears. 

The  poet  Southey  once  wrote  to  James  Mont- 
gomery : — "  I  am  one  who  shrinks  in  like  a  snail, 
when  I  find  no  sympathy ;  but,  when  I  do,  I  open 
myself  like  a  flower  to  the  morning  sun."  Such  was 
A-delaide  Newton.  Not  many  knew  her  thoroughly  ; 
but  there  were  two  or  three  select  hearts  to  which  she 
"opened  herself."  To  the  letters  thus  called  forth 
this  Memorial  mainly  owes  whatever  of  the  life-like 
it  may  possess. 

A  critic  lalelv  said  of  a  ^Memoir  now  issuing  from 


IV  p  u  E  F  A  Tout    X  o  r  k  . 

the  press : — "  We  wanted  a  marble  bust,  with  the 
features  delicately  chiselled  and  the  features  pre- 
served— and  we  are  threatened  with  a  colossus  in 
bronze."  It  would  have  been  easy,  in  the  present 
instance,  out  of  the  vast  mass  of  letters  and  papers, 
to  cast  a  colossus  ;  but  the  Author  has  aimed  rather 
at  the  marble  bust. 

The  writer  is  sensible  how  imperfectly  Le  may 
have  caught  the  delicate  lineaments  of  her  inner  life. 
But  he  is  not  without  the  hope  that  He  w'  o  made 
her  what  she  was,  will  graciously  use  thi^*  "  living 
epistle"  to  solace  some  wearied  pilgiimj  /.nd  t« 
quicken  the  steps  of  some  loiterers  by  the  w  .»y. 

London,  December,  1855. 


POSTSCRIPT. 


After  these  pages  had  passed  through  the  press, 
the  Author  received  fi'oua  the  Rev.  Canon  Stowell, 
of  Manchester,  a  communication  respecting  the  sub- 
ject of  this  Memoir,  in  which  he  writes  thus  : 

"  Seldom  or  never  has  it  been  my  happiness  to  see  the 
mighty  power  of  grace  so  marvellously  manifested  as  in  her. 
She  seemed  to  dwell  in  the  vestibule  of  heaven — to  live  on 
the  steps  of  the  throne  of  grace.  The  vigour  of  her  under- 
standing, the  acuteness  of  her  judgment,  the  force  of  her 
reasoning,  the  originality  of  her  ideas,  and  the  beauty  of  her 
style,  astonished  me.  You  could  not  converse  with  her 
without  being  charmed  with  the  freshness,  the  vividness, 
the  activity,  the  refinement  of  her  mind.  Tlie  spring  of 
all  was  love  to  her  Saviour,  intense  desire  to  glorify  Ilia 
name.  This  strung  up  all  her  energies ;  this  animated  all 
her  pursuits.  Grace  clianged  the  whole  tone  of  her  char- 
acter. From  the  flexible,  tasteful,  buoyant  girl,  she  rose 
into  the  earnest,  elevated,  reflective  woman ;  yet  all  was 
artless  and  easy,  clothed  with  humility,  and  adorned  with 
simplicity. 

"  The  one  grand  instrument  of  the  work  was  the  Word 
of  God-  She  lived  on  and  ia  the  Bible.  It  savoured  every 
Bftntiment  and  toned  every  thought  of  her  ?oul.  She  caught 
1* 


VI  POSTSCRirX. 

tho  faintest  whisper,  and  analysed  the  minutest  expressions, 
of  '  the  lively  oracles.'  Tho  Scriptures  were  wrought  into 
the  very  texture  of  her  inner  life;  she  fed  upon  them  in  her 
heart.  Hence  the  newness,  the  unction,  the  savouriness  of 
ber  writings.  Like  the  silk-worm,  which  spins  her  exqui.site 
thread  from  her  own  vitals,  fed  by  the  mulberry  leaves — so 
she,  from  the  experience  of  her  own  spirit,  nourished  by  the 
leaves  of  the  Tree  of  Life,  wrought  out  her  lovely  tissues  of 
heavenly  wisdom.  Flesh  and  blood  had  not  taught  her, 
but  the  Spirit  of  her  Father  in  heaven. 

••  In  all  she  wrote,  and  said,  aud  did,  to  glorify  Christ  was 
her  single  aim.  This  desire  was  as  a  fire  in  her  bones.  Iler 
zeal  was  ever  burning.  Nor  was  tho  light  of  her  joy  less  re- 
markable. Whilst  most  humble,  she  was  most  assured. 
Doubt  seemed  never  allowed  to  overshadow  her  soul,  anx- 
iety to  disquiet  it.  When  you  entered  her  chamber,  you  felt 
that  she  was  enveloped  in  an  atmosphere  of  heavenliness 
and  peace.  When  she  mingled  with  the  family-circle,  she 
seemed  like  the  denizen  of  a  higher  world  come  down  on 
some  errand  of  love. 

"  Assuredly,  grace  has  seldom  shone  brighter  in  any 
vessel  of  cla}-.  And  for  tho  honour  of  the  Saviour  and  the 
consolation  of  His  Church,  tho  memorial  of  what  was  done 
in  her,  for  her,  and  by  her,  ought  net  to  bo  lost. 

"Manchester,  Dec.  4,  1865." 


15 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

pAoa 
Tlie  key-note— Ancient  fable— The  earthen  pitcher-Bacon— Birth- 
place—Early  years -Natural  attractions— Henry  Martyn— "A 
religious  man"— The  bede-roll— The  attic— C:onflict—"  Two 
niastci-s"- The  "three  hundred  and  sixty-five  religions"— Leila 
Ada— The  "new  expedient"— The  bosom  friends— Cowper— 
The  felon— The  pardon— The  turning-point— "Seeing  Jesus"- 
Brainerd— Keligiousness  and  godliness— "Annihilation  of  Kell 
glous  self" — Eepose 


CHAPTER     II. 

Ilenry  Martyn— "  A  resignation  of  the  heart"—"  Whoso  am  I?" — 
Tlie  alternative— The  test— The  Geranium— "A  living  sacrifice" 
— Self-surrender- The  "better  part"- The  harvest— Worldly 
society— The  line— Tersteegcn— Self-denial— The  now  affection 
—"Degrees  of  worldliness"— llalf-rcconcilcd— Blackheath— 
Winning  cheerfulness— Ireland— A  duty— "Kept  from  the  evil" 
"  Jesus  in  company" — "  Conscience  in  secret" 


CHAPTER    III. 

Lord  Bacon— "  Another  himself  "—New  friendships— Instinct  and 
grace— The  "truant  flower"— Heart  never  poor— Family-gather- 
ing-The  Sunday-school— The  district— "  Win  souls"— "Old 
Betty"- The  prayer  at  the  door— The  sickle— The  "blessed 
hope"— Schiller 83 


Vm  C  O  N  T  K  N 


CHAPTER    IV. 

PAoa 
The  preparation — Labours — Health  broken  down — Ylnet — Chas- 
tisements, sacrifices — Chain  of  sin — Cecil — "  Do  something' — 
Terstecgen — "Bringing  up,"  and  "Bringing  down" — The  Invalid 
at  the  window — "  Uncrossed  lives" — Irish  readers — A  gleam  of 
sunshine 44 


CHAPTER     V. 

The  Blumlis  Alp— Torquay — Increasing  illness — "  Image  of  a  suf- 
fering Saviour" — Praising  the  Lord  in  the  fires — A  snare  of  Satan 
— Kcal  experience — "God's  gentle  pressure" — Unworldly,  not 
unhunian — An  incident — Lonely  Sabbath — Idolatrous  attach- 
ments— Herbert — A  visit — Patience  under  little  trials — A  train- 
ing-place for  heaven — "  A  secret" 62 


CHAPTER  VI, 

'  Our  business" — "Absorption  in  the  Bible" — The  two  silences — 
Walk  with  God— Letter-writing— Christ's  sympathy— Thorn  in 
the  flesh — Canticles — New  devotedness — A  congratulation — 
"Little  confessions" — "Mounting  to  the  sky" — A  silent  commu- 
nion— The  cloud  of  witnesses — "Married  to  Christ" — Entering 
into  Jesus — Fruit — Present  service  and  future  glory — God  breath- 
ing througli  us — Return  to  Torquay  08 


CHAPTER    VII. 

'Living  martyr" — Bacon — Cecil— "New  tent  in  the  wilderness" — 
"Clinging  In  the  d.irk  Prayer — The  consecrated  chair — A  con- 
version-" Only  one  llle" — Second  Coming — Humility — God 
satisfied— The  seed-basket— Love — Tlie  blank — "Marry  In  the 
Lord"— Improved  health— Christ's  Life -The  vnll  of  flesh— The 
pruniiig-ktiife — Another  con  version — Leaves  Torquay — Sympa- 
thy with  Christ's  joy 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER     VIII. 

PAQB 

Bath — Return  horuc — Chariots  of  angels — "  Thought  I  was  dying" 
— Anotlicr  separation — "Iloart  deep" — Worlc  on  Canticles — 
"Drawing  on  God's  forgiveness" — The  '>'je  Book — The  conflict — 
The  muddy  stream — Ood  in  littlo  tlungs — Forget-me-not — Self- 
examination — Watchfulness — "  Bible  enough'"— Ragged-school — 
The  earthly  bouse— "  Balancings  of.  the  clouds" — Return  to  Tor- 
quay    100 


CHAPTER     IX. 

The  "highest  attainment" — Another  conversion — "In  the  world 
again" — A  pervert — A  Personal  Christ  and  a  personal  devil — 
Cross-bearing — Discipline,  its  aim — Closer  intimacy  with  God — 
"Eccentric  philantlirophy" — Home-affections — The  earthen  ves- 
sel— The  earnest— "  Cannot  be  agitated" — A  snare — The  look — 
Working — The  "talents" — "Dashing  on  the  rock"^I'ayson — 
Ridley — A  longing — Not  Christianity,  but  Christ— The  "meet- 
ing-place"— Wilderness-lessons — A  communion — "This  do" — 
A  retrospect — Final  leave  of  Torquay 117 


CHAPTER     X. 

Diary — "Not  streams,  but  wells" — Letter-writing— A  test — Mar- 
liage — The  "fatal  calm" — "Ripen  for  glory" — "Senses  exer- 
cised"— The  primitive  taste— Spirit  breathing  through  us — 
Genial  affections — Self-reproach — The  Magnet — "A  bettor  com- 
munion"— "Treasures  in  heaven" — A  bereavement — "An  eter- 
nal present" — Meditation — Grace  and  sin — A  gourd  withered — 
"Expect" — Impotence  and  Omnipotence — "Playing  with 
flowers"— Habakkuk — David — "  Live  upon  God" — Self-sacrlfico 
— "  Money,  money !" — "  Ourselves" — The  love-token — Christmas 
thonghts 1-lS 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

PAOI 

Work  on  Cftntlclcs— The  press—"  SUshtlng  the  "Word"— Gliding 
the  pathway— A  birthday  wish— "Xcarinc:  the  port"— "Viva- 
clous  self-intcrost"— The  thorns  -"  Dacis"— The  furnace-"  Only 
two  men" — The  Father's  eye— Thankfulness— "Tides  of  love"— 
Cbri-;t  for  us — The  two  tliinjjs- Hor  church — "My  baseness" — 
Kmblttcrlng  the  world— "The  earthly  hut"— The  Evil  One— 
Kellgious  dissipation — "My  leanness" — Christ  and  bodily  tired- 
ness— The  three  vl>itors — A  Tuscan  prison  -  Sealinc  and  witness- 
Inft — Unbelief  and  humility—"  Our  own  clay" — Haifa  Saviour — 
"That  brink" — Christ  leadlnq;  the  praises  -  Outward  adorning — 
Clothed  with  iniinortality- Tinging  of  the  dark  cloud — Jesus  a 
personal  Friend — "  The  balm  ' 168 


CHAPTER     XII, 

The  daily  resurrection — Mental  trials  and  bodily— Another  conver- 
sion— The  heliotrope— "Seeing  Jesus" — "Looking  on  lllm" — 
"Handling"  Him— "^fearer  to  Thee"- The  blood— "Do  all  for 
Christ"- Infancy  of  the  heart- Christ  in  His  risht  jilace— "The 
Church  and  the  Churches" — Manifold  discipline— Her  bonk  blest 
— Hours  at  the  Throne — Strength  revived — TVit- lesson — Hebrews 
— Guidance — "One  indulged  sin" — Sanctiflcation — Bright  side  of 
tbo  cloud— Diary — Lowering  lessons — "Covered  with  Jesus"— 
Battle-Held 185 


CHAPTER     XIII. 

The  ftjmlly-anectlons — Christ  and  Antichrist — Her  father's  last  Ill- 
ness—"Cried  myself  to  sleep" — Diary — Fruit  ripe — Insensibility 
— "  Falnteth  not" — "  But  one  sting" — "  Wc  shall  meet  again" — 
Polishing  other  side  of  the  stone — Occupy  to-day— Anticipations 
— Closing  scene — "  All  Joy" — "Go  np" — Kesurrection — Recogni- 
tion— "Jesus  wept" — "Come  forth'" — Unclothed  state — At  home 
In  the  body — Absent  from  It — "  Clothed  upon"— Left  behind — 
Uppcrmoa*.  feeling — Adoration — "  Hajipy  In  his  happiness" 10$ 


C;  O  N  T  K  X  T  3  .  XI 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

PAUB 

School  of  aflBlctlon — Now  lessons — Isolation  and  desolation — Christ's 
body — The  "  daylight" — Diary— Breathings — "  Glory" — Eivcr's 
brinlc  and  river's  side — A  retrospect — The  waves  and  the  haven — 
"A  thorough  pilgrim" — "  Not  satisfied" — The  "higher  occupa- 
tion"— Satan's  method  of  temptation — "Fighting  in  Canaan" — 
The  burnt-offering — Visits — "Each  moment's  need" — "Not  un- 
derstood"— Suffering  and  service — "Strengthening  to  carry  the 
cross" — The  worm  at  the  root — Restraining  grace — Study  of 
Hebrew — Sanctifying  wealth — A  "weight" — "Sensitive  to  sin" 
— "Better  home" — Future  recognition — "Shut  up  to  Jesus" — 
The  oak  and  the  storm 210 


CHAPTER     XV. 

Kitualism — "Outside  things" — "Visiting  the  people" — High- 
Churchism — "My  notions  of  the  Church" — Only  true  value  of  life 
— Henry  Martyn,  at  Calcutta  and  at  Dinapore — Congenial  home 
— The  eternal  day — Braincrd — God,  not  self—"  Never  wearies  of 
me" — "No  silent  moments" — "Turn  your  bed" — Sick-room — 
The  reward — Luther — Atonement — The  "  living  sacrifice" — ^The 
fashioning  of  the  "  mystical  body" — Infancy  and  manhood — Per- 
son of  Christ — Answer  to  prayer,  why  delayed^"  Within  three 
days" — The  ravens — The  "bruising"  and  tho  "  darkness" — The 
"sacrifice"  and  the  "burning  lamp" — The  misty  atmosphere — 
Tho  lambs  and  the  sheep-"  Dread  not" 229 


CHAPTER     XVI. 

Portrait — Bible  In  hand — "Absorbed  in  God"— Strong  Conflicts — 
Mental  habitude — Diary — Tho  orange -tree — Life  a  business — 
"  Joy  of  the  Lord" — The  preparation — Krummacher — "  The  holy 
dove'" — "Purging  the  floor" — The  "two  rests" — Unuttered 
groaning?— Prophetic  study — Tho  "conflict  in  the  land" — The 
"  garment  of  praise" — The  "  waves" — "  It  is  I " — Waiting — Evans 
— Hewitson — Intercession — "  Unripe  fruit"— The  valley — Health 
stationary — The  Spirit  and  the  flesh — Secret  of  usefulness  Ten- 
derness and  hardness — Earnest  labour 24T 


jnl  C  O  X  T  K  .V  T  3  . 


CHAPTER     XVII. 

PAGI 

"  A  real  Btratagem" — Tho  child  and  Iho  dojr — Glimpses  through 
the  lattice— '•  A  pasp  of  His  hand" — Soft  wliispers — The  shell 
and  the  kernel — "An  uncertain  sound' — "  Conio  up  hi;:hei" — 
"Tender  papes"— Watch! -The  narrow  wny — Infidelity — Sinai- 
tic  inscriptions — The  buds  and  the  fruit — Memoirs — The  un 
clouded  sunshine — Bodily  depression — The  white  hyacinth — 
"Solitariness" — A  "beloved  Persis" — Maturing  experiences — 
Intimacy  with  Jesus — The  "  wheel  full  of  iron  spikes" — The  now 
wine  of  the  kingdom — Melchizedec— The  Man  of  Soitows — Re- 
surrection— Ever-varying  tiilos — " Tiaitor-like  character" — The 
blind  children — "  Wailing  upon  God" — Bible's  adaptedness — A 
cure  for  "  wretched  spirits" — Ripened  Christians 266 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 

Augustine — The  Bible — A  glimpse  Into  her  chamber — The  bee— 
The  exotic — "  Sharpness" — "  Perfect  through  sufferings" — "  A 
little  while"—"  Brilliantly  happy"— The  Jew— Egypt— Sinaitlc 
inscriptions — TlieroglyphUs— Alphabet— Researches — "  Harbour 
In  sight" — God's  iinniensitj- — Permisslc^n  of  evil — Prayer,  "  set 
speaking"  and  "silent  breathing"— Martin  Luther — Thankful- 
ness— vralching  for  souls — New  sorrows  and  new  joys — Aged 
Christians — Subduedncss — Satanic  agency— The  two  ends — Oil- 
painting — Consecrated  to  God — Strokes  upon  the  stones — The 
"south  wind" — "Beg  yourselves  rich"— Self-possessedness — 
Light  of  alBictlon'8  fire—"  All  known  to  Thee  ' 2?1 


CHAPTER     XIX. 

The  shell — Its  native  sea — Land  of  Bculah— Breaks  in  communion 
—Robert  Bolton—"  When  shall  I  be  dissolved  ?"— "  Exalted"— 
"  Going  to  be  with  Him" — Pilgrim  experiences—"  Momentary 
catches''— "  A  time-state"— The  "perfect"- 1 'ps  and  downs— 
The  four  wings— Self-sacriflce— The  flame— The  "house-devir* 
exorcised— Soul-nakedness— Apathy— Foretastes-Emma  Maur- 
ice—" Stdf-crushcd"— Increasing  weakness— "  Singing  for  Jesus'' 
—Enoch— Tlio  pilgrim— Looking  back— "Exalted  above  meas- 
ure"—Faith  and  Conception— Bishop  Ridley—"  Ileaveu  of  com- 
munion"—David's  life— The  Potter's  field— The  spiritual  body— 
The  Lord's  appearing  J108 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 


CHAPTER    XX. 

PAfll 

Bpenser— The  " dark  cottage"— "New  light" — "Now  come  I  to 
thee"— "  Pity  thyself"— The  vails — Kuffled  spirit — External 
ease — Diary — Visits — Work  on  Hebrews — Energy  of  purpose — 
"  I  owe  it  so  much''— "What  sin  is' — "  My  face  on  the  ground" — 
Sympathies — Jobs  three  friends — Longings — "Downright  stag- 
gered"— The  Great-hearts — "Heaven's  own  bliss" — David — The 
Psalms — "No  other  path" — "The  provocation" — "Continued 
with  me" — Cowper— Contemplation — The  eagle-pinion — Caleb — 
"God'sjoy" — Anticipated  evil — "  The  Nazarite" — New  discipline 
— Christian  love — "  Godliness  " — Sin  of  unbelief — "  Useless  grief" 
— "  Sonship-positioii" — God  in  sufl'orings — Renewed  elasticity — 
A  glimpse  into  the  sick-chamber — "  Maturing  for  removal" 818 


CHAPTER     XXI. 

'  Heaven  begun" — Payson — Celestial  city  in  view — "  Most  of  me 
fled'' — Diary — Labours — "  Mastering  death" — A  message — God's 
pleasures — "Sinking  into  Christ" — Jesus  prays — The  bright 
cloud — The  unchanging  Priest — "  Deep  waters" — "  Spoken  for 
to  God" — "  Feeling  the  bottom" — God  unchanged — Mists — 
Brightened — "  Verifying  my  experience  by  the  Word" — Work  on 
Hebrews — Irish  Missions — Christ  "showing  Himself" — "Sim- 
ple faith' — Prostrated — "All  bright  yonder" — "The  grand 
whole" — A  farewell — "  Foundation-realities" — "  llemembering 
Him  in  the  night-watches" — Legh  Richmond — Silent  fortnight 
— "Looking  heaven" — "Rock -like  peace" — Payson — "Praise 
waiteth" — "Higher  up" — A  parting  gift — "Never  mind' — Rev. 
A.  Dallas — The  silent  tear — "  I  tcill  get  up" — Heavenly  peace — 
Dismissal — Polycarp — Living  martyrdom — "  Sweetest  Canticle" 
—The  Epitaph 84) 

2 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  I  LONG  SO  earnestly  to  be  growing  in  grace  hour- 
ly—* filled  with  the  Spirit'— burning  with  love  tc 
Clirist,  and  Christians,  and  sinners — to  be  a  rcflectio]\ 
of  Him  in  the  world,  and  working  whilst  it  is  day." 
So  wrote,  on  one  occasion,  the  beloved  disciple  whose 
brief  but  bright  course  we  are  now  to  sketch.  That 
aspiration  was  the  key-note  of  her  life. 

It  is  fabled  by  an  ancient  poet,  that,  "  when  Her- 
cules went  to  unbind  Prometheus  (a  figurative  per- 
sonification of  human  nature),  he  sailed  the  length 
of  the  groat  ocean  in  an  earthen  pot,  or  pitcher." 
And  Lord  Bacon,  applying  the  fable  to  the  Christian 
lite,  describes  the  saint  as  sailing  most  marvellously  in 
the  frail  bark  of  the  flesh,  through  the  waves  of  the 
world,  to  tliat  home  where  he  shall  be  "free  indeed." 

It  was  emphatically  a  frail  bark  and  a  stormy  ocean 
which  carried  Adelaide  Newton  to  her  haven.  And 
others  who  are  still  on  that  ocean,  "  toiling  in  rowing," 
may  be  comforted  mightily  as  they  hear  the  articulate 
voice  of  Him  who  so  often  came  to  her,  saying,  "  It 
is  I ;  be  not  afraid." 

The  town  of  Derby  cannot  boast  of  many  holy 
memories.     But  He   who   noted  Bethany  as   "  the 


16  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTOJT. 

I  own  of  Mary  and  of  her  sister  Martlia,"  has  noted 
the  birthplace  of  Adelaide  Leaper  Newton.  It 
was  on  1st  March,  1824,  that  an  infant,  who  was  to 
leave  behind  her  so  precious  a  fragrance,  was  ushered 
into  this  vale  of  tears. 
"  Life,"  it  has  been  said, 

"  Beginneth  as  a  little  path  edged  with  the  violet  and  prim- 
rose, 
A  litllo  path  of  lawny  grass,  and  soft  to  tiny  feet." 

To  Adelaide  Newton,  life's  early  years  were  eminently 
smooth  and  pleasant.  Of  a  good  family,  and  sur- 
rounded by  every  earthly  luxury,  she  gi'ew  up  into 
girlhood,  her  sunny  morning  betokening  a  cloudless 
day.  "  This  sweet  spot,"  we  tind  her  writing  to  a 
friend,  on  her  return  home  after  a  short  absence, 
"  seems  like  an  earthly  paradise."  And  a  singular 
aptness  in  acquiring  each  accomplishment  to  which 
she  successively  devoted  herself,  threatened,  as  she 
rose  into  womanhood,  to  entangle  her  still  more 
firmly  in  the  world's  meshes.  A  surviving  sister 
speaks  of  "  her  peculiarly  sweet  touch  in  playing,  and 
voice  in  singing,"  which  "  made  her  music  unusually 
attractive."  Her  delicate  pencil,  too,  seemed  to  maik 
her  out  for  no  ordinary  success  in  drawing.  And 
graver  attainments  were  added.  "A  natural  talent 
for  languages"  found  its  development  in  the  acquisi- 
tion of  vaiious  of  the  modern  tongues;  and,  in  later 
years,  she  added  to  them  Greek,  Hebrew,  and  even  a 
little  Arabic.  She  "  i)articularly  delighted  also  in 
mathomatics."     And  wlien,  added  to  all  tlii^,  was  tho 


EARLY      I0Y6.  17 

idornmeiit  of  a  "cliarminij  iiiannev,"  whose  ejraceful 
iiodcsty  was  "  never  for  an  instant  spoiled  by  tlio 
Draises  which  were  continually  heaped  npon  her  in 
he  social  circle,"  it  will  be  seen  that  seldom  has  the 
world  held  out  a  more  attractive  allurement  than  to 
the  subject  of  our  Memoir. 

''  Like  yourself,"  she  wiites,  long  afterwards  to  a 
<*chool-companion,  describing  that  season  of  her  early 
joys,  "  mv  heart  naturally  clung  very  much  to  the 
world.  Music  was  my  great  snare.  I  took  infinite 
pains  to  play  well,  and  delighted  secretly  in  the  com- 
mendation I  got  whenever  I  played  before  any  one. 
Fancy  now  its  being  nearly  four  years  since  I  have 
touched  either  piano  or  organ.  And  my  singiiig, 
which  I  had  once  even  more  reason  to  be  satisfied 
with,  is  probably  for  ever  silenced.  You  cannot  think 
how  I  thank  God  from  luy  heart  that  Ho  would  not 
let  me  gratify  the  secret  pride  wiiicli  was  lurking  in 
it,  and  which  was  stealing  my  love  from  Him." 

Henry   Martyn    tells,   that,    in    his   student-days, 
when  self  and  self-pleasing  was  as  yet  the  centre  of 
his  soul,  he  contrived  to  pronounce  hiinse.f  "a  reli 
gious  man."     Adelaide  Newton,  also,  had,  for  many 
days,  inscribed  her  name  in  the  same  bede-roll. 

A  child  of  parents  who  loved  the  Lord,  scarcely 
liad  she  known  the  time  wlien  the  "things  of  tlio 
kingdom"  were  strangers  to  her  ear. 

"  Pleasant  as  it   was,"  writes  her  governess,  "  to 

teach  her  in  the  school-room,  it  was  still  more  so  to 

be  vvith  her  at  the  season  for  spiiitual   instruction, 

She  always  appeared  to  enjoy  those  opportunities  • 

2* 


18  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

and  on  one  occasion  I  remember  she  said,  '  Tiiatik 
you,  I  shall  now  go  to  sleep  on  the  RocV  of 
Ages.' " 

And,  as  years  went  on,  the  "  reli^riousness"  bad 
grown  more  intense.  "  On  one  occasion,"  says,  her 
sister,  "in  1835,  when  Mr.  Grev-ille  was  here  1  »r  a 
few  days,  much  that  he  said,  both  in  the  farailv  and 
to  herself,  deeply  impressed  her.  And  I  well  rei,  em- 
ber how,  about  that  time,  we  were  constantly  ref.  ling 
Doddridge's  '  Rise  and  Progress,'  Fletcher's  'Add'C-ss,' 
and  James'  'Anxious  Inquirer.' "  And  in  the  fo'^.ow- 
ing  summer  the  "religiousness"  assumed  a  still  d.  rpcr 
hue.  The  family  had  remo\-ed  for  a  few  montrs  to 
a  neighbouring  village,  to  escape  the  small-pox  winch 
had  seized  virulently  a  member  of  the  houser.old. 
In  an  unfurnished  attic  of  the  house,  Adelaide,  and 
three  others,  used  to  spend — each  unknown  to  the 
rest — many  solitary  hours  in  "devotional  readmg 
and  in  prayer."  And  the  family  governess  writes : 
"From  the  beginning  of  1837  to  the  end  of  1839, 
I  liad  a  daily  course  of  private  Bible-reading  and 
prayer  with  dear  Adelaide  at  her  own  particular  re- 
quest." 

But  the  "  religiousness  "  did  not  give  her  rest.  "  I 
am  the  victim,"  we  find  her  writing,  "  of  the  most 
distressing  and  pairful  contlict.  Sometimes  I  feel 
ready  to  give  myself  up  almost  to  despair,  while  at 
other  times  I  seem  to  enjoy  religion.  When  I  look 
back  ujx)n  the  time  when  I  think  this  conflict  first 
began  in  me  (which  I  believe  is  now  six  or  seven 
vears  ago),  I  am  tempted  to  believe  that  it  is  quit« 


EARLY     STRUGGLES.  19 

impossible  that  one  who  has  triflerl  so  long  mth  such 
things,  sinning  Against  such  light  and  knowledge  as 
I  enjoy,  shall  ever  be  forgiven."  And  again:  "I 
am  so  careless,  and  so  unwilling  to  pray.  Pray 
earnestly  for  me,  and  write  faithfully  to  me.  It  will 
not  be  a  small  thing  to  deceive  myself  on  so  all-im- 
portant a  subject." 

And  some  years  afterwards,  referring  to  this  period, 
she  writes:  "I  can  perfectly  enter  into  all  your 
feelincrs,  because  I  have  been  in  much  the  same  state 
of  mind  myself.  I  was  not  happy  in  the  world,  and 
could  not  be,  for  there  is  nothing  in  it  which  can 
satisfy  an  immortal  creature.  I  had  no  real  enjoy- 
ment in  anything,  because  I  was  trying  to  serve  two 
masters.  And  this,  I  now  see,  cannot  be  :  God 
will  have  the  whole  heart :  His  pi'omise  is,  that  we 
shall  find  Him  when  we  search  for  Him  with  all  our 
hearts." 

And  again,  to  the  same  friend :  "  I  have  often 
thought  of  you  since  you  once  wrote  me  a  note  say- 
ing you  could  serve  God  only  as  a  duty.  If  this  is 
still  your  feeling,  I  can  assure  you  from  my  own  ex- 
perience, that  it  is  only  because  your  heart  is  not 
given  up  entirely  to  God.  You  are  trying,  as  I  too 
long  did,  to  serve  God  and  Mammon;  and  therefore 
you  find  no  true  enjoyment  either  in  the  world  or  in 
rehgioTi.  I  know  exactly  how  you  feel,  having  had 
j)recisely  the  same  conflict  going  on  in  my  heart  for 
a  long  tmie." 

"Out  of  about  365  religions  in  the  world,"  said 
«  hio-hlv-educated  .Jew  oue  dav  to  his  beloved  chili. 


20  M  E  M  O  I  n     OF     A  .     L  .     N  K  W  T  O  X . 

fin  accomplished  and  lovely  girl  of  nineteen,  as  she 
was  urjjing  upon  him  the  wonderful  graciousness  of 
tliat  Divine  Saviour  wliom  she  had  found  in  the  cruci- 
fied Nazarene,  "I  don't  think  your's  the  easiest; 
people  have  to  work  so  hard,  and  be  so  distressingly 
earnest,  and  so  awfully  solemn ;  it  makes  me  ill  to 
think  of  it."  "Ah!"  replied  the  youthful  convert, 
"  this  religion  is  a  very  happy  and  a  very  easy  one. 
I  have  an  inward  peace  and  joy  which  is  unspeak- 
able. Jesus  is  precious ;  He  is  Heaven ;  He  blesses 
me  every  moment.     Oh  !  his  boundless  love  to  me  !" 

Adelaide  Newton  had  not  yet  found  Him  who  was 
Leila  Ada's  all.  "  It  is  the  constant  life,"  says  she, 
"of  watchfulness  and  self-denial  required  of  the 
Christian  which  fills  me  with  despair."  Her  con- 
science not  yet  sprinkled  with  "  the  blood,''  she  was 
without  a  leverage  to  move  her  to  willing  service. 
Her  heart,  not  yet  attached  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  was 
not,  and  could  not  be,  detached  from  a  world  "  lying 
in  the  wicked  one." 

A  new  expedient  was  now  attempted. 

"  I  did  so  much  wish  to  see  you,"  she  writes,  on  the 
27th  April  1839.  "You  know  that  I  have  at  times 
been  very  anxious  about  the  state  of  my  mind. 
Many  indeed  are  the  convictions  God  has  most  gra- 
ciously granted  me  ;  but  they  have  been  rejected  and 
slighted.  All  this  winter,  however,  I  have  been  very 
raucli  depressed  in  spirit,  and  at  times  quite  miser- 
able.    Wht-n  J was  staying  with  us,  she  slept 

with  ni''.  We  often  talked  indirectly  on  religious 
subjects;  but   one    night  we  got   nearer  and  nearer 


THK     NEW     EXPEDIENT.  21 

home,  till  it  ended  in  my  opening  my  whole  heart 
to  lier.  This  was  no  sooner  done  than  I  felt  a  burden 
taken  oft'  my  mind,  which  has  been  weighing  mo 
down  fbi  months.  She  gave  me  most  precious  ad- 
vice. I  liad  never  spoken  freely  to  any  one  before  ; 
and  you  may  imagine  what  a  relief  it  was.  O  pray 
for  me  !  I  trust  God  is  bringing  me  by  a  way  I  kn^  )W 
not." 

And  again,  to  another:  "There  is  something  with- 
in which  keeps  me  from  enjoying  perfect  peace.  If  I 
could  once  be  sure  that  I  am  jvietitied,  then  all  would 
be  right.  I  wish,  more  and  more,  every  day,  to  see 
some  clergyman  who  would  tell  me  what  ho  thought 
of  me.  Still,  I  can  hardly  think  that  God  would 
liave  brought  me  so  far  to  put  me  to  shame." 

But  a  brighter  hope  was  now  to  dawn.  "  If,"  says 
Cowper,  of  the  condemned  felon,  who,  "in  darknesa 
and  heart-chilling  fears,"  hears  the  warder  at  his  cell- 
door,  about  to  lead  him  forth  to  death, 

"  If  then,  just  theu,  all  thoughts  of  mercy  lost, 
When  hope,  long  lingering,  at  last  yields  the  irl'oat, 
The  sound  of  pardon  pierce  his  startled  car, 
He  drops  at  once  his  fetters  and  his  fear; 
And  transport  glows  in  all  he  looks  and  speatp. 
And  tlie  first  thankful  tears  bedew  his  cheaka," 

A.ud  the  poet  adds : 

Jo)',  far  superior  joy,  which  much  outweighi 

Tlie  comfort  of  a  few  poor  added  days, 

Invades,  jiossesses,  and  o'erwlieims  the  soul 

Of  him  wliom  hope  has.  witli  a  touch,  mndo  ••icla 


22  M  E  M  O  I  U     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

Tis  heaven,  nil  heaven,  descending  on  tlie  wings 
Of  the  glad  legions  of  tlie  King  of  kings. 
'Tie  more — 'tis  God  diffused  through  every  part; 
'Tis  God  Himself  triumphant  in  his  heart." 

The  bard  of  Olaey  himself  knew  little  of  this  joy, 
but  Adelaide  Newton  was  now  to  realize  it  as  her 
own. 

One  morning,  at  Leylands,  at  family  worship,  a 
visitor*  read  the  third  chapter  of  Colossians.  Select- 
ing the  first  verse — ''If  ye,  then,  be  lisen  with 
Christ,"  he  spoke  emphatically  of  the  "  If^" — urging 
the  necessity  of  make  sure  of  this  starting  point, 
setting  forth  Clinst  and  His  resurrection-life  as  the 
sinner's  immediate  privilege,  and  closing  with  an 
appeal  on  the  duty  of  instant  decision  for  Christ. 
The  message  went  straight  to  Adelaide's  heart. 
'*  The  words,"  says  her  sister,  "  were  used  efieo- 
tually  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  decide  her  to  be  the 
Lord's." 

When  Jesus  was  on  earth,  the  needy  "  drew  near 
to  Him,*^  and  found  in  Him  immediate  life.  Adelaide 
Newton  "drew  near"  to  tlie  same  Saviour,  and  found 
the  same  immediate  life.  ]3efore,  she  had  gone  with 
her  burden  to  the  creatui'c ;  but  the  creature  could 
not  solace.  Now  she  went  direct  to  Jesus  Himself, 
and  she  was  "accepted  in  the  Beloved."  "  This,"  we 
find  her  writing,  "is  the  only  way  to  life  and  salva- 
tion— '  Come,  and  see  Jesus.'  This  is  the  way  to 
settle  all  objections.     We  may  have  a  thousand  diffi- 

•  The  Rev.  Dr.  H.  M'Neile. 


T  U  £     0  R  I  S  I  S  .  23 

culties  in  our  minds ;  but,  by  coming  to  Christ,  to 
see  Him  for  ourselves,  tliey  all  vanish  away." 

Brainerd,  in  his  Diary,  contrasting  his  religious- 
ness with  his  godliness,  writes  of  the  former  thus : 
"  The  more  I  did  in  duty,  the  more  hard  I 
thought  it  would  be  for  God  to  cast  mc  off.  But 
now  I  see  that  my  duties  laid  not  the  least  obli- 
gation upon  God  to  bestow  His  grace  uj)on  me.  I 
see  evidently  that  the  whole  Avas  nothing  but  self- 
worship." 

And  of  the  latter  ho  writes :  "  It  was  the  appre- 
hension of  a  divine  glory.  God  brought  me  to  a 
hearty  disposition  to  exalt  Him,  and  to  set  Him  upon 
the  throne.  I  was  sweetly  composed.  I  felt  myself 
in  a  new  world.  I  wondered  that  all  the  Avorld  did 
not  see  and  comply  witli  this  way  of  salvation,  en- 
tirely by  the  righteousness  of  Christ.'''' 

Adelaide  Newton  was  carried  through  a  like  ex- 
perience. The  "annihilation  of  her  religious  self 
she  had  found  "  a  bitter  work."  That  work,  though 
in  some  sense  a  life-long  discipline,  was  now  so  far 
done,  that,  for  the  first  time,  she  could  say,  "  Not  I, 
but  Christ."  And,  like  Brainerd,  she  felt  an  indescri- 
bable repose.  "  It  is  impossible,"  she  writes,  "  to  de- 
scribe what  a  sight  of  Christ  is.  One  man  cannot 
tell  another.  Every  one  must  see  for  himself.  It  is 
perfectly  irresistible.  And  there  is  something  trans- 
forming in  the  veiy  act  of  beholding  Jesus.  It  is  the 
Boal's  highest  joy." 


CHAPTER  11. 

One  day  Henry  Martyn  wrote  in  his  Diary  :  "My 
soul  approves  tboroiighly  the  life  of  God ;  and  my 
one  only  desire  is,  to  be  entirely  devoted  to  Him.  I 
have  resigned,  in  profession,  the  riches,  the  honours, 
and  the  comforts  of  this  world ;  and  I  think,  also,  it 
is  a  resignation  of  the  heart." 

With  Adelaide  Newton,  also, it  was  "a  resignation 
of  the  heart."  " '  Whose  am  I  V  "  she  writes,  allud- 
ing to  Paul's  words  that  night  in  the  ship :  "Why 
is  it  that  so  few,  so  very  few,  can  at  once  answer,  '  I 
am  thy  servant,  O  Lord  V  There  is  no  sin  more 
hateful  to  Christ  than  lukewarmness.  And  yet  how 
n)any  thousands  are  victims  of  it  in  the  present  day  ! 
What  numbers  are  spoken  of  as  '  well-inclined,'  oi 
•  well-disposed,'  young  persons,  liking  to  be  thought 
well  of  by  the  Lord's  people,  and  yet  shrinking  fronv 
lliat  'coming  out'  from  the  world  and  being  'sepa- 
r;.to,'  which  alone  could  enable  them  conscientiously 
to  affirm,  as  in  the  sight  of  God,  '  I  am  thine.'  " 

"  Every  one  living,"  she  proceeds,  "  must  be  Satan's 
slave  or  God's  child.  What  an  alternative !  Surely 
those  who  continue  in  this  uncertainty  have  never 
•;''ii<iu-lv  asked  themsflves  whnae  ihey  are,  if  thov  nro 


DECISION.  26 

not  Christ's  ?  or  reflected  that  they  can  not  be  stand- 
ing still  in  this  uncertainty,  but  that  every  thought, 
word,  and  action,  of  every  moment  of  their  hves,  is 
confirming  them  in  their  service  of  one  of  these  two 
musters,  and  is  ever  giving  fresh  and  still  stronger 
evidence  whose  they  are  !" 

And  she  adds  :  "  How  intensely  important,  there- 
fore, the  question  becomes,  'Whose  am  If  There 
can  be  no  true  peace  till  it  is  settled.  '  Being  justi- 
fied by  fjiith,  we  have  peace  with  God '  (Rom.  v.  1) ; 
hut  not  till  then.  And  this  is  the  secret  why  there 
are  so  few — so  veiy,  very  few — happy,  rejoicing 
Christians.  It  is  not  that  the  religion  of  Christ  is  a 
gloomy  thing,  but  it  is  that  so  few  know  the  peace  it 
gives  under  a  sense  of  forgiven  sin.  How  can  they 
be  happy,  who  are  bearing  about  on  their  consciences 
tlu!  burden  of  a  life  of  unpardoned  gniilt  ?" 

From  her  own  conscience  that  burden  was  now 
guno.  Like  the  pilgrim's,  it  liad  fallen  from  her  at 
the  foot  of  the  cross.  "  How  did  I  know,"  she  writes, 
some  time  afterwards,  in  reference  to  this  period, 
"  that  my  sins  were  all  washed  away  ?  Because  I 
was  trusting  simply  to  the  finished  work  of  Christ, 
and  was  not  waiting  until  I  had  done  any  thing  to 
evidence  it.  What  we  o?o,  as  Christians,  proves 
whose  we  are  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  (Matt.  vii. 
1 6 — 20)  ;  but  the  grand  question  with  us  is,  whose 
we  are  in  the  sif/ht  of  God ;  and  that  depends  entirely 
on  our  acce})tance  of  the  finished  work  of  Chnst. 
Union  with  Christ  makes  us  Christians;  and  that 
should  be  the  test  whose  ive  arc."' 
•6 


26  MEMOIR     OF     A        L.     K  K  W  T  >  N 

Relieved  fiom  lior  biink'Ti,  and  lifaring  in  her 
hand  "  the  roll,"  she  now  with  a  light  heart  ascended 
the  hill  Difficulty.  "Tlicre  is  blessedness  unutter- 
able," she  writes,  in  true  fixedness  of  heart  upon 
God.  It  enables  a  soul  to  'sing  and  give  praise' 
(Ps.  Ivii,  7),  even  amidst  dangers  and  calamities  and 
reproaches." 

In    casting  in  her  lot  with  Clirist,  she  had  not 

omitted  to  count  the  cost.     "  One  day,  Lady  L 

S was  asking  a  mutual  fnend  about  us,"  we  find 

her  writing  some  time  previous ;  "  and  she  heard  that 
we  were  not  decided  enough  to  be  happy.  Iler 
simple  reply  was,  'Oh,  tell  them  from  me  not  to  be 
halt-and-half.'  You  cannot  thiiik  how  those  words 
haunted  me  ever  afterwards,  ami  how  often  they 
have  helped  me  to  be  out-and-out  a  Christian  in  my 
conduct." 

The  "soul  that  loveth,"  has  been  compared  to  (ho 

"Pale  geranium,  pont  within  tlie  cottage-window." 
"  Behold,"  says  the  poet, 

"How  yearningly  it  stretchetli  to  the  light  its  leaves! 
How  ptraineth  upward  to  the  sun,  coveting  its  sweet 

influences! 
How  real  a  living  sacrifice  to  the  god  of  all  its  wor- 
ship!" 

Such  was  Adelaide  Newtcn.  Fixing  her  heart  on 
her  beloved  Lord,  she  was  transformed  into  "a  Yning 
sacrifice."  "  We  read,"  she  writes,  "  of  '  many  men 
of  l^enjamin  and  Jmlah,'  who  came  to  join  them- 
selves to  David.     And  how  did  they  proclaim  their 


THE     CHRISTIAN     I  ^f     THE     WOULD.        2'7 

true-heartodness ?  By  flieir  entire  self-surrender: 
'  Thine  we  are,  David ;  and  on  tliy  side,  thou  son  of 
Jesse !' " 

Surrounded  by  not  a  little  to  attract  the  carnal 
eye,  she  "chose  the  better  part,"  and  chose  it  onco 
for  all.  "  What  I  long  for  most,"  she  writes,  "  is  an 
habitual  and  realizing  sense  of  the  presence  of  God 
at  all  tinies,  and  the  constant  recollection  that  His  eye 
is  upon  me,  and  that  nothing,  however  trivial  I  may 
think  it,  can  escape  His  observation.  May  it  be  our 
experience  daily  more  and  more,  so  that  we  may 
grow  in  conformity  to  the  image  of  Christ  and  in 
meetness  for  our  heavenly  inheritance  !" 

Like  the  "  man  in  the  picture,"  she  had  not  only 
"  the  world  behind  her  back,"  but  the  "  crown  of 
glory  hanging  over  her  head."  "  Every  fresh  dcvel- 
tipuient,"  she  writes,  "of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  in 
our  hearts  is  fresh  treasuie  for  'the  Lord  of  the  har- 
vest.' Oh !  did  Ave  but  remember  this,  in  what  a 
difterent  light  would  all  the  events  of  time  appear  to 
us !  In  every  friendship  we  form,  in  every  visit  we 
pay,  in  every  letter  we  write,  we  are  either  sowing  to 
the  flesh — of  the  flesh  to  reap  corruption,  or  sowing 
to  the  Spirit — of  the  Spirit  to  reap  life  everla.stinf>-! 
How  this  ought  to  quicken  us  to  use  our  moments  in 
sowing  seed  for  our  eternal  harvest !" 

In  aa  age  like  the  present,  when  "  the  form  of 
godliness  "  is  so  rife,  and  its  "  power  "  so  very  rare, 
it  is  not  wonderful  that  a  sensitive  heart  like  hera 
should  early  have  been  called  to  solve  various  prob- 
lems in  the  daily  life. 


28  M  i:  M  O  I  U     OF     A  .     L .     N  E  W  .  O  N  . 

One  of  those  proMcnis  was  "the  course  to  he  pur- 
sued in  regard  to  worldly  societj'."  Writing  to  a 
friend  who  had  solicited  her  judgment,  she  says : — 
"  I  scarcely  think  it  possible  to  draw  the  line  too 
strongly  between  light  and  darkness.  "We  cannot 
be  real  Christians  only  in  private.  It  is  written, 
'  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them  ;'  and  if  we  are 
re;dly  following  God  devotedly,  it  will  be  evident  to 
Jill  around  us.  Let  me,  therefore,  entreat  you  at 
once  to  resolve  to  make  up  your  mind  to  devote 
yourself  entirely,  soul  and  body,  to  Him,  I  know 
you  never  can  be  really  happy  till  you  do." 

Tersteegen  speaks  of  "  love  exercising  self-denial 
without  tasting  its  bitterness,  and  almost  without  ever 
thinking  of  it."  One  of  Adelaide's  sisters,  who  had 
been  absent  from  home,  writes:  "I  shall  never  for- 
get the  impression  she  made  on  me  by  the  intense 
feeling  she  put  into  Gal.  vi.  14,  which  was  the  first 
text  she  quoted  as  soon  as  we  w-ere  alone  together ; 
and  from  that  time  I  saw  that  the  world  was  cruci- 
fied to  her  in  a  way  I  had  never  seen  it  before." 
And  she  herself  writes:  "The  nearer  we  live  to 
Jesus,  and  the  closer  our  walk  is  witli  Him,  the  less 
inclination  we  have  for  pursuits  and  pleasures  in 
which  He  is  not  the  object." 

Many  Christians  seem  only  half-reconciled,  and 
therefore  only  half-separated  unto  God.  Dear  Ade- 
laide felt  at  home  in  her  Father's  house ;  and  that 
made  her  feel  a  "stranger"  in  a  world  which  knows 
not  the  Father.  "  Oh !  for  a  heart,"  some  one  baa 
said, 


TV  I  K  N  I  N  r,     C  II  E  K  n  F  IT  L  N  E  S  S  .  29 

"  Magnanimous  to  know 
Thy  worth,  poor  workl,  and  let  thee  gol" 

Such  a  heart  Adelaide  had  gotten  at  Golgotha,  and 
it  cost  her  scarcely  a  pang  to  "let  go"  whatever  had 
been  most  dear.  "I  can  not  help  thinking,"  she 
writes  to  a  schoolfellow,  "that,  if  you  are  much 
occupied  with  thoughts  of  heaven,  of  holiness,  of  the 
meek  and  lowly  Jesus,  and  how  He  lived  and  walked 
on  earth,  you  will  feel  a  secret  shrinking  from  wordly 
society,  which  will  make  balls,  <fec.,  &c.,  very  painful 
to  you.  God  has  left  no  positive  conmiands  upon 
things  of  this  sort ;  for  He  knows  that  where  the 
heart  is  given  to  Him,  the  life  Avill  assuredly  be  given 
too.  And  the  motive  of  Gospel-obedience  is,  not  so 
much  duty,  as  love.  The  child  that  loves  its  parents 
devotedly,  or  its  friends,  does  what  will  please  them 
at  any  cost." 

It  was  not  in  words  oidy  that  she  thus  commended 
Christ.  "Her  love  to  Jesus,"  says  one  in  whose 
house  she  resided  at  Blackheath  durinor  her  closins 
years  of  school,  "  was  her  animating  principle,  and 
the  very  joy  of  her  heart.  To  lead  her  young  com- 
panions to  HrM  was  her  gi-and  aim.  Her  winning 
cheerfulness  made  the  young  see  how  happy  Jesus 
could  make  them.  Every  girl  loved  her,  some  most 
devotedly." 

In  the  autumn  of  1842  she  visited  Ireland.  "  We 
liave  indeed,"  she  says,  writing  to  one  of  that  youth- 
ful band,  "  met  with  the  truest  Irish  and  Clinstian 
hospitality.  We  dined  one  day  with  Mr.  Daly,  at 
Powerscourt.      Almost  all  tlie   Irish   clergy,   I  find 


30  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     N  E  AV  T  O  N  . 

believe  in  the  Personal  Reiojn  ;  and  it  s?eins  to  have 
a  very  practical  ii)fliK'iici'  on  their  whole  lite  and  con- 
versation.   We  met  there  Mr.  R .    I  really  think 

I  have  seldom  seen  a  more  heavenly-minded  man. 
lie  does  (just  what  I  always  long  to  feel  myself)  in 
a  most  habitual  manner  seem  to  feel,  that  Jesus  is 
always  present.  Oh !  to  realize  this  continually  is 
certainly  to  have  some  foretaste  of  heaven." 

"Wherever  she  Aveut,  she  left  behind  her  a  savour 
of  Christ.  "  I  never  can  forget,"  writes  one  who  met 
her  during  that  Irish  tour,  "  dearest  Adi.'laide's  deeply 
interesting  visit  to  Glanraoro.  Though  it  is  thirteen 
years  since,  I  can  well  remember  how  much  we  were 
both  struck  by  her  deep  spirituality,  the  very  en- 
larged range  of  her  intellectual  powers,  the  chastened 
tone  of  her  mind,  and  the  exquisite  modesty  and 
simplicity  of  her  manners  and  character.  We  were 
not  less  delighted  with  the  warmth  of 'her  zeal  for 
the  enlightenment  of  the  poor  Irish  people." 

Scarcely  a  week  passed  that  some  scliool-companion 
01'  other  friend  was  not  soliciting  her  counsel  and 
sympathy  in  the  struggles  of  the  Chnstian  life. 
Writing  to  one,  she  says:  "I  think  1  Cor.  vii.  20-24 
plainly  shows  us,  that  in  whatever  position  or  calling 
of  life  we  are  placed,  there  it  is  our  duty  to  abide. 
A  child,  for  instance,  must  be  in  subjection  to  her 
parents ;  and  if  they  would  have  her  do  what  she 
dislikes  or  disapproves,  it  is  generally,  I  should  think, 
her  plain  duty  to  take  up  the  cross  and  obey  them, 
fur  (iud  well  knows  her  n)oli\e,  and  by  no  means 


S  K  h  F-D  E  N  I  A  L. 

judges  her  of  willing  confomnty  to  the  world  i.. 
such  acts." 

And  ngain : — "If  you  feel  obHged  to  join  you.- 
family  or  friends  in  scenes  which  give  you  no  plea- 
sure, and  if  you  let  them  see  that  you  join  them  from 
a  sense  of  duty,  and  not  from  inclination,  I  think  you 
will  reap  the  gain  of  self-denial.  But,  after  a!l,  don't 
you  think  that  our  g  'and  concern  is,  to  aim  at  close 
walking  with  God, '  csaving  Him  to  order  our  steps 
for  us,  and  trusting  Him  so  to  order  our  way  as  best 
to  enable  us  to  walk  closely  with  Ilim  ?  Remember 
that  Jesus  is  each  day  saying  to  his  Father  for  you, 
'I  pray,  not  that  she  should  be  taken  out  of  the 
world,  but  that  she  should  be  kept  from  the  evil.' 
May  I  send  you  these  words  to  use  as  your  constant 
plea  at  the  throne  of  grace  whenever  you  are  in  diflS- 
culty  how  to  act  ?" 

And  to  another  friend :  "  In  one  sense,  all  con- 
formity to  the  world  is  forbidden.  AVe  could  not 
Lave  stronger  language  than  St.  Paul's :  '  Come  out, 
and  be  separate,  and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing.' 
But  then  he  has  balanced  that  extreme  by  telling  us, 
on  the  other  hand,  that,  if  we  kept  no  company  with 
ungodly  people,  we  '  must  needs  go  out  of  the  world.' 
And  so  far  from  this  being  intended,  w^e  are  expressly 
commanded  to  be  "  blameless  and  harmless,  the  sons 
of  God  without  rebuke,  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and 
perverse  nation,  among  whom  ye  shine  as  lights  in 
the  world.'  Again,  we  find  Jesus,  when  on  earth, 
accepting  an  invitation  to  a  wedding-feast  (John  ii.) ; 
and  lie  dined  with  a  Pharisee  (Luke  vii.),  who  most 


32  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTOV. 

certainly  was  a  man  of  the  world.  And  don't  you 
think  He  is  as  much  <Mir  example  in  these  things  a^ 
in  visiting  the  lionr,  anl  in  rolioving  the  sick  and 
needy  ?" 

And  yet  again  :  '•  I  think  the  love  of  the  world 
may  show  itself  very  differently  in  different  persons, 
and  that  no  one  can  altogether  judge  for  another, 
whether  they  are  indulging  it  in  what  they  do,  or  not. 
But  I  believe  conscience  tells  each  child  of  God  in 
secret.  I  dare  not  decidedly  judge  for  you,  even  in 
my  own  mind,  how  far  you  may  rightly  go  into  the 
world  ;  but  I  feel  sure  that  if  you  honestly  seek  direc- 
tion from  God,  you  will  certainly  get  it.  My  desire 
for  you  is,  that  you  may  walk  as  Jesus  walked.  I 
don't  thitdv  we  can  aim  too  high.  Let  your  standard 
be,  to  be  like  IIim." 

"  I  hope,"  she  adds,  "  you  will  not  think  me  severe 
upon  you  in  anything  I  have  said ;  for  you  cannot 
think  how  I  feel  for  you.  My  natural  heart  was 
so  fond  of  the  same  wordliness,  though  in  a  different 
way.  I  struggled  for  months — or,  I  may  say,  years 
— between  God  and  the  world  ;  but  never  did  I  en- 
joy peace  or  happiness  the  whole  time.  No  one 
knew  what  I  enduled.  May  you  be  spared  the  bitter 
conflict,  and  choose  the  better  part  at  once  and  un- 
leservedly !" 

"  Dead  to  tlie  worM,  we  dream  no  more 
Of  earthly  pleas'ires  now; 
Our  deep,  divine,  unfailing  spring 
Of  grace  and  glory — Thou  1" 


CHAPTER   III. 

LoED  Bacon,  in  one  of  liis  essays,  quotes  a  pro- 
verb of  the  ancients — "  A  friend  is  anotlier  himself." 
"  No  receipt,"  he  adds,  "  openeth  the  heart  hut  a  true 
friend  to  whom  you  may  impart  griefs,  joys,  fears, 
hopes,  sus{)icions,  counsels,  and  whatsoever  lieth  upon 
the  heart  to  oppress  it." 

Dear  Adelaide  had  left  behind  her  not  a  few  prized 
companionships  ;  but  others  were  substituted.  "  Kin- 
dred," some  one  has  said,  "  is  the  riches  of  the  heart." 
That  kindred  she  now  possessed.  "  Oh  !  what  a  life," 
she  writes,  "  the  life  of  a  Christian  is  !  I  feel  so  wrapt 
up  in  thought  this  moruing,  that  I  really  cannot 
write.  Uow  delightful  is  the  feeling  that  the  same 
High  Priest  above  understands  your  feelings  and 
mine  !  It  gives  a  feeling  of  union  which  nothing 
else  can.  'One  in  Christ!' — if  we  are  thus  made 
members  of  one  body,  we  shall  never  be  really  sepa- 
rated." 

And  to  another :  "  I  cannot  tell  you  how  thank 
fully  I  look  back  upon  the  privilege  of  getting  to 
know  you  as  much  as  I  did  at  Sandgate.  I  really 
believe  my  chief  pleasure  in  this  world  consists  in 
having  and  being  with  Christ:.;.:i  friends ;  and  none 
but  Christians  know  how  real  and  lasting  such  friend- 
«hi[)   s." 


34  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTOS. 

The  instinct  Avliicli  loves  liccause  of  natural  attrac- 
tions, and  tlie  grace  wliicli  loves  in  spite  of  natural 
defects,  and  simply  because  of  what  is  Christ-like,  are 
very  different  affections. 

•There  is  a  fragrant  blossom,  that  maketh  glad  the  garden 

of  the  heart; 
Its  root  lieth  deep ;  it  is  delicate,  yet  lasting,  as  the  lilac 

crocus  of  autnm : 
Loneliness  and  thought  are  the  dews  that  water  it  morn 

and  even. 
I  saw  it  budding  in  bnauty;    I   felt    tlic   magic  of   its 

smile  ; 
The  violet  rejoiced  beneath  it,  the  rose  stooped  down  and 

kissed  it; 
And  I  thought  some  cherub  had  planted  there  a  truant 

flower  from  Eden, 
As  a  bird  bringeth  foreign  seeds,  that  they  may  flourish 

in  a  kindly  soil." 

That  "  truant  flower"  is  Christiau  fellowsliip — the 
"  coininunion  of  the  saints,"  And  not  often  has  it 
found  a  more  "kindly  soil"  than  in  the  lieait  of 
Adelaide  Newton.     "I  am  thinking  so  much,"  she 

writes,  "of  you  and  dearest to-night.     I  can 

fancy  you  both  looking  at  that  splendid  star  which 
I  too  see  again  to-night  for  the  first  time  for  ages. 
IIow  long  it  may  be  before  we  all  three  look  at  it  to- 
gether again  !  I'erhaps  never  !  Be  it  so  ;  may  we 
then  only  meet  to  behold  togethei",  not  a  star,  but  the 
glorious,  unclouded  Sun  of  Righteousness !  We 
could  not  wish  for  anything  so  enrapturing  in  this 
worlil."     Ai;i  r-^-air. :    "T  const.-ml'v  tlMid:  of   vou. 


THE     F  A  M  I  I.  Y- G  ATHE  RI  N  CJ.  35 

ilow  wonderfully  we  are  all  separated  just  now ! 
How  sweet  the  thought — 

"'Our  bodies  may  far  off  remove, 
We  still  are  oue  in  lieart ! ' " 

The  saint  is  not  an  anchorite,  and  he  never  will  be. 
The  world  has  not  a  frieudship  which  shall  survive 
earth's  brief  hour;  but  the  saint  is  hnked  to  his 
heavenly  kindred  by  an  afiectiou  which  cannot  die. 
His  heart  can  never  grow  poor.  "  What  a  strange 
and  mysterious  thing,"  she  says,  "  our  pilgrim-life 
here  is  !  designed  just  for  a  special  purpose,  and  often 
rendered  so  sweet  by  fellow-pilgrims  who  travel  with 
us  a  part  of  the  way !  but,  ditterent  work  and  ditter- 
ent  paths  being  assigned  to  each,  we  are  emphatically 
taught  that  our  fiimily-gathering  cannot  be  fully 
realized  till  those  numberless  paths  and  dift'ereut 
tracks  shall  meet  in  one  common  centre — the  Fa- 
ther's house  above.  Oh  !  that  our  love  may  indeed 
grow  exceedingly  both  towards  God  and  towards  one 
another !" 

And,  writing  to    one    of    her   sisters,  she    says : 

"  How  1  wish,  my  dearest  N ,  I  thanked  God  as 

I  ought  for  all  He  makes  you  to  me !  I  love  so 
deeply,  that  really,  when  ;ny  love  is  peculiarly  called 
forth,  I  long  to  live  both  to  enjoy  others'  love  to  me 
and  to  love  them  in  return.  How  intensely  diflicult 
to  believe  that  love  is  to  be  so  increased  and  per- 
fected in  heaven!"  And  she  adds:  "As  love  is 
that  which  flows  from  God,  I  don't  think  it  is  pos- 
sible to  prize  it  too  highly  from  others,  or  to  love  too 


Sa  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTOX. 

much  ourselves.  It  is  only  the  sin  that  defiles  our 
love,  which  mars  it.  It  is  trying  to  be  so  near,  and 
not  to  meet.  But  our  meeting-place  is  in  Christ  and 
in  His  Word :  we  need  separation  to  teach  us  this 
effectually,  I  believe." 

If  she  was  Christ-like  in  her  love  to  the  saints,  she 
was  not  less  Christ-like  in  her  compassion  for  perish- 
ing sinners.  "In  1843,"  says  one  who  knew  her  well, 
"  she  became  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school — an 
employment  in  which  she  always  took  the  deepest 
interest.  The  impression  produced  on  the  children's 
minds  was  not  easily  forgotten,  some  of  them  even 
proving  their  grateful  atiection  by  visiting  her  in  her 
last  illness." 

And  another  field  of  labour  was  a  District  in  the 
parish  of  All-Saints'.  Her  visits  were  singularly 
blessed.  The  writer,  a  few  months  ago,  met  an  aged 
women  who  owed  to  these  visits  her  conversion.  As 
she  spoke  of  "  dear  Miss  Newton,"  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  a  gleam  of  heavenly  joy  lighted  up  her  wrin- 
kled features.  "  Oh  !  I  was  so  dark,"  she  said,  "  when 
that  dear  lady  came  to  see  me ;  but  she  told  me  of 
.Tcsus  and  His  love,  and  it  drew  my  dead  heart  to 
Him.  Oh  !  had  she  not  come  to  me,  I  would  just 
li.ive  lived  on  in  sin." 

Her  aim  in  all  her  visits  was,  not  to  "do  a  duty," 
but  to  "  win  souls."  One  of  her  sisters  wiites : 
"Early  in  the  spring  of  1844,  Adelaide  asked  mo  one 
day  to  share  part  of  Iwr  district,  and  lend  books  and 
tracts  at  one  end  of  the  street.  Noticing  how  long 
fihe  had  waited  at  the  diti'erent  doors  before  goin'' 


DIARV.  37 

in,  I  astod  her,  as  we  were  walkJiio;  liome,  '  Do  you 
always  wait  when  you  knock  at  a  door  till  they  open 
it  V  '  No,'  was  her  reply,  '  but  I  always  like  to  wait 
a  moment,  before  I  knock,  to  ask  for  the  Iloly 
Spirit  to  be  with  my  mouth  and  teach  me  what  to  say 
in  each  house.'  I  have  often  thought  of  it  since,"  her 
sister  adds,  "  and  have  attributed  to  it  her  wonderful 
success  among  the  poor  whom  she  visited." 

And  what  passed  within,  we  may  gather  from  a 
few  sentences  occurring  in  a  "  private"  Diary,  marked 
"Visits  to  the  Poor— 1843-6." 

"1843.  Juli/  14. — Saw  R.  F. :  she  appeared  at 
the  point  of  death.  I  never  can  forget  the  over- 
whelming feeling  of  being  asked  to  speak  to  a  soul 
on  the  brink  of  eternity  ;  perhaps  the  last  words  she 
heard  might  be  mine.  I  urged  her  to  believe  in 
Christ,  who  was  able  and  willing  to  save  her.  I  then 
prayed  with  her  very  shortly,  and  as  simply  as  I 
could.  I  did  not  improve  that  opportunity  as  I  might. 
May  God  forgive  me  for  it  1" 

''Juli/  19. — Saw  M.  S.,  who  gets  worse  in  body, 
but  I  hope  grows  in  grace.  She  told  me  that  Mrs. 
W.  began  to  pray  the  day  before  she  died,  but,  find- 
ing she  could  not,  she  said  she  foimd  swearing  easier; 
and,  returning  to  her  former  ways,  she  died  in  that 
awful  condition.  Oh !  that  it  might  be  a  saving 
warning  to  some !" 

"  1844,  April  3. — Saw  Mrs.  L.,  and  read  her  part 

of  2  Cor.  v.,  and  1  Cor.  xv.      She  could  scarcely 

speak,  but  charged  me  to  remember  M.     She  said, 

'  If  Jesus  died  for  sinn-^rs,  I'm  sure  he  died  for  nie  ;' 

4 


88  MKMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

and  set'eral  times  she  repeated  tliat  sLe  was  'soon 
going  home,'  and  could  now  resign  everything  to 
God." 

^'■Ajiril  9. — Heard,  from  old  Betty  Fox,  of  the 
dying  Infidel,  Samuel  Goode.  In  speaking  of  his 
determination  not  to  have  anything  to  do  with  a 
Saviour,  she  added,  '  But  /  hope  to  trouble  Him,  for 
I  hoj>e  to  be  with  Him  for  ever." 

'•'■May  1. — Saw  Mrs.  II.,  and  read  her  John  iii. ; 
but  I  fear  she  depends  on  supposed  innocency  of 
life  for  acceptance  with  God.  May  God  open  her 
eyes  to  see  her  danger  !  Oh  !  that  slie  may  yet  be 
brought  into  the  fold  of  Christ,  and  be  made  His  for 
ever !" 

"1845.  April  9. — Went  to  see  E.  E. ;  but  her 
spirit  had  taken  its  flight  that  morning.  She  knew 
she  Avas  dying,  and  on  the  Tuesday  desired  her 
mother  to  give  'her  best  love  to  Miss  N.,  for  she 
should  never  see  me  again ;'  and  in  the  evening  she 
asked  her  to  take  her  a  candle,  and  hold  it  by  her 
while  she  read  my  hymn  on  'The  ]<\i]ness  of  Jesus.' 
She  also  spoke  very  seriously  to  her  sister  S.,  though 
the  room  was  full.  In  the  aftei-noon,  while  her 
mother  was  sitting  alone  with  her,  she  said,  '  OIi ! 
mother,  can't  you  hear  it  ?  It  is  so  beautiful !'  After 
listening  for  some  minutes,  she  said,  with  her  arms 
stretched  out,  '  I'm  sure  Jesus  sent  those  blessed 
angels  to  comfort  me.'  She  also  said,  when  asked  if 
she  felt  afraid  to  die,  '  No,  I'm  not  afraid ;  the  sting 
of  death  is  quite  taken  away.'  She  was  sensible  to 
the  last,  and  died  peacefully." 


D  I  A  R  T .  39 

"1846.  Jamiary  23, — Spoke  to  B.  of  neglecting 
salvation  till  avc  are  sick  and  dying ;  he  was  quite 
atlected  to  tears,  and  wept  some  time.  lie  seemcJ 
quite  cheered  when  I  spoke  to  him  of  the  precious 
blood  of  Jesus." 

"■  February  23. — Spoke  faitlifully  to  Mrs.  D.  about 
her  husband,  and  urged  her,  instead  of  trying  to 
talk  to  him,  to  talk  to  God  about  him." 

'■'■March  10. — Saw  M.  W.,  who  had  been  taken  ill 
oil  AVediiesday.  She  said  she  had  often  wondered 
if  her  religion  would  support  her  in  illness  and  death  ; 
and  it  did.  The  woild  had  never  been  much  to  her. 
She  was  always  afraid  of  having  too  mucli,  lest  it 
should  draw  off  her  aftections  from  God  ;  but  now  it 
seemed  utterly  nothing.  She  said  she  felt  as  if  stand- 
ing on  the  outside  of  it.  She  had  perhaps  led  as 
upright  a  life  outwardly  as  was  possible,  exercising 
always  a  conscience  void  of  oftence ;  but  if  any  ono 
should  suggest  that  as  a  ground  of  acceptance,  she 
spurned  the  thought.  She  would  consider  every- 
thing in  that  liglit  as  '  lighter  than  a  feather  to  waft 
her  across  the  ocean.'  " 

It  was  thus  that  dear  Adelaide  went  about,  like 
the  Master,  from  day  to  day,  "  the  common  people 
hearing  her  gladly."  "  I  would  never,"  we  find  her 
wnting,  in  her  diary,  at  the  beginning  of  1846,  "enter 
a  house  without  having  first  asked  His  blessing — ■ 
never  go  to  the  district  without  prayer,  and  i)rayer 
especially  for  a  blessing  on  the  books  lent."  And 
this  other  entry  :  "  The  time  is  short ;  work  while  it 
'=  ^'ay ;  the  Lord  is  at  hand :  occupy  till  I  come." 


40  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

Her  sickle  preserved  its  fine  edi^^e;  aii.l  that  made 
her  so  successful  a  reaper  in  His  fields. 

And  the  sickles  of  other  reapers  she  sought  to 
sharpen.  "'Who  hath  beheved  our  report?'"  she 
writes,  in  a  pointed  ajipeal,  widely  circulated  in 
various  parts  of  England,  "  is  the  sad  inquiry  of  the 
minister,  the  teacher,  and  every  one  who  laboui-s  to 
win  souls  to  Christ.  Let  us,  therefore,  put  the  pro- 
raise  of  our  God  to  the  proof,  and  see  if  He  will  not 
open  the  windows  of  heaven,  and  pour  us  out  a  bless- 
ing that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive 
it.  True,  we  need  self-denial  and  resolute  effort,  to 
get  even  time  for  prayer ;  and  we  must  endure  some 
conflict  with  Satan  and  self,  ere  we  are  enabled  to 
continue  in  prayer,  lint  if  one  hour  each  day  could 
be  devoted  by  each  praying  soul  in  this  parish  to 
intercessory  prayer  on  its  behalf,  what  immense  re- 
sults might  be  expected  !  Surely  we  might  be  more 
thoroughly  in  earnest.  Surely  we  might  plead  more 
with  God,  when  infatuated  men  are  deaf.  Does  not 
the  Lord  wait  to  be  gracious,  imtil  He  hears  our  cry 
(Isa.  XXX.  19)  ?  '  Ye  people,  pour  out  your  heart  be- 
fore Him.' " 

In  her  visitations,  not  less  than  in  her  own  hidileii 
life,  the  "blessed  hope"  grew  daily  more  precious. 
"  I  have  always  found  it,"  she  writes  in  her  diary, 
"  pioduce  a  deeper  impression  upon  the  poor  tli:in 
any  other  subject."  And  elsewhere  she  says :  "  ll 
opens  the  Scriptures  to  us  in  an  entirely  new  light 
I  find,  too,  that  all  who  receive  this  view  are  agreeJ 
that  it  mnkcs  them  fed  less  concern  and  love  for  tlio 


THE     BLESS  KD     II  OPK.  41 

WL.rkl  tlian  nnythino^  we  can  iinngino.  It  gives  one 
this  foelinix,  '  It"  Christ  is  coining  so  soon,  what  mat- 
ters it  what  ruc-n  think  of  us,  if  only  we  are  safe  in 
Christ  ?  and  what  is  there  in  tlie  world  worth  caring 
for,  since  we  shall  so  soon  have  done  with  it?'  I 
know  that  we  may  say  the  same  thing  with  respect 
to  the  shortness  and  uncertainty  of  life;  but  we  do 
not  realize  it  in  the  same  way." 

The  "  hope  "  wonderfully  quickened  her  own  steps 
heavenward.  "  It  should  ever  be  the  Christian  pil- 
grim's answer,"  she  writes,  "to  every  allurement  to 
loiter  or  make  a  home  down  liere,  '  I  cannot  tarry ;  I 
am  journeying.'  (Num.  x.  29.)  And  whither? 
Even  to  that  land  of  promise,  '  of  which  the  Lord 
hath  said,  I  will  give  it  you.'  He  is  '  going  home.' 
It  is  already  his  by  promise  and  by  gift,  and  he  is 
going  to  take  possession  of  it !  It  is  not  merely  a 
resolution,  it  is  a  matter  of  fact  that  even  now  he  is  on 
his  tvai/.  It  could  bo  no  question  with  Isi-ael  of  old  ; 
for  they  were  neither  in  Egypt,  living  in  the  land  of 
Goshen,  nor  in  Canaan ;  but  between  the  two — 
'journeying.'     And  they  felt  it — knew  it — to  be  so. 

"  'We  are  on  the  way  to  God  :' 
"  'And  nightly  do  we  pitch  our  tents 
A  day's  march  nearer  home.' 

We  make  progress  in  a  journey :  we  expect  none  of 
the  rest,  or  ease,  or  comforts  of  home,  but  press  on- 
wards. And  the  promise  of  God  leads  us  on  We 
can  trust  to  it. 

4* 


42  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

"  '  Thor.gli  the  shore  we  hope  to  land  oa 
Oiil}-  b}'  report  is  known, 
Yet  we  freely  all  abandon, 
Led  by  that  report  alone, 

And  to  Jesus 
Through  the  trackless  deep  move  on.'  " 

Schiller,  iu  one  of  his  tragedies,  has  a  personage 
who,  in  her  enthusiasm  of  attachment  exclaims,  "  lie 
sails  on  troubled  seas — Amelia's  love  sails  with  him  ; 
he  wandere  iu  pathless  deserts — Atoelia's  love  makes 
the  burning  sand  grow  green  beneath  him,  and  the 
stunted  shrubs  to  blossom ;  the  south  wind  scorches 
liis  bare  head,  his  feet  are  pinched  by  the  northern 
snow,  stormy  hail  beats  round  his  temples — ^Amelia's 
love  rocks  him  to  sleep  in  the  storm.  Seas,  and 
hills,  and  horizons  are  between  us  ;  but  souls  escajx?. 
from  their  clay-prisons,  and  meet  in  the  paradise  of 
love."  That  is  but  a  fond  creation  of  the  fancy, 
without  a  counterpart  in  life's  realities.  Ikit  the 
Cliristian  pilgrim  finds,  in  the  hope  of  his  Lord's 
"appearing,"  a  gladness  which  is  here  but  faintly 
shadowed.  "Jesus  endured  the  cross,"  writes  our 
pilgrim,  "  for  the  joy  that  was  set  befo:  e  Ilim  ;  and 
that  we  may  endure  it,  He  would  have  the  'fulness 
of  joy  in  His  presence,'  and  the  crowns  which  lie 
promises  to  '  those  who  overcome,'  to  be  ever  before 
us."  This  annihilates  intervening  "seas,  an  1  hills, 
and  horizons."  "  IMake  haste  my  Beloved  !"  the  soul 
cries  in  its  struggle,  lifting  heavenward  its  faith  and 
hope,  "  and  be  thou  like  a  roe  or  a  young  hart  upon 
the  mountains  of  Ik-ther." 


THE     11  0  r  K     OF     0  L  O  R  Y .  43 

Ilor  tliouiilits  »t  limes  toolc  the  form  of  verse. 
The  linos  wliich  follow,  thougli  very  simple,  have  a 
sweet  pensivencss  about  them,  betokening  the  heart 
of  the  stranger  whose  eye  is  upon  the  Canaan-rest. 
They  are  founded  on.Col.  i.  27,  and  are  dated  "  May 
10,  1846:" 

"'the  hope  of  glory.' 

"So  bright  is  the  hope  of  the  glory  before  me, 
I'm  often  impatient,  in  haste  to  be  gone: 
1  long,  blessed  Jesus,  with  saints  to  adore  Thee, 
Those  glorified  spirits  surrounding  Thy  throne. 

"So  bright  is  the  hope,  that  I ivould  not  live  alway 
For  pleasures  tliis  poor  fading  earth  can  bestow ; 
They  never  can  satisfy,  never  eiin  cheer  me, 
For  eacl)  'r-iQ  is  tainted  with  sorrow  and  woe. 

"Of  this  bo(l\  of  sin  and  of  death  I  'm  so  weary, 
I  cling  t'j    he  bright  ^hnpe  o/gloky'  in  store 
For  the  souln  who  have  found  all  on  earth  to  be  weary 
And  long  to  attain  to  the  heavenly  shore. 

"Lord,  hasten  the  time  of  Tiiy  blessed  returning. 
To  give  us  the  peace  and  the  rest  that  remain 
For  Thy  servants  who  stand  with  their  lamps  ready 
burning, 
To  enter  Thy  glory,  and  wi/Zi  Tliee  to  reign  ! 

"This — this  is  the  Hope  that  is  now  set  before  us; 
Oh!  when  shall  we  enter  that  glorious  rest? 
Welcome,  pain!    welcome,   death  1    if  it  brings  us  to 
Jesuis, 
And  l-'iuishes  liope  in  our  pleasures  po.^sessed." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

He  •who  tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb, 
had  been  solacing  His  servant  with  tliis  "strong 
consolation,"  before  laying  upon  her  ]Iis  chastening 
rod. 

Her  unceasing  labours  in  the  "  district"  began  at 
length  seriously  to  undermine  her  never  very  robust 
frame. 

In  April,  1844,  we  find  her  "going  round  a  new 
district,  containing  at  least  one  hundiod  houses," 
and  "fairly  tired  out  with  e;ich  day's  work."  "1 
have  been  this  evening,"  she  writes,  in  June  of  the 
same  year,  "  to  see  another  poor  woman,  very  much 

like  Mrs. ,  but  more  anxious.     I  have  had  two 

deeply  interesting  talks  with  her.  Only  think,  what 
a  pn'vilege  to  bo  allowed  to  speak  to  poor  sinners  of 
a  Saviour's  love !  JNIay  our  unworthy  efforts  bo 
blessed !" 

And  in  March,  1845,  she  writes:  "If  you  knew 
liow  fully  every  moment  has  been  occupied  lately, 
you  would  not  wonder  at  my  long  silence.  Suffice  it 
to  say,  that  last  wiek  I  was  out  at  district-work  four 
days  out  of  the  six,  from  breakfast  in  the  morning 
till  foui'  or  five  in  (he  aft-rnoon." 


HEALTH     BROKEN     DOWN.  45 

Often  protracliiit;:  lier  visitations  until  she  was 
obliged  to  hasten  home  too  late  for  dinner,  she  at 
last  sat  down  one  day  oveilieated,  and  caught  a  chill. 
It  was  in  June,  1840. 

It  speedily  became  apparent  that  only  a  season  of 
entire  rest  could  afford  any  hope  of  real  amendment. 
Writing  ft  cm  Malvern,  to  which  she  had  gone  "  for 
change  of  air,"  she  says,  of  date  June  30  :  "  You  ask 
about  my  health.  I  am  not  well,  but  not  ill.  A 
troublesome  cough  has  got  me  at  last  into  the  doc- 
tor's hands.  lie  has  ordered  me  to  the  sea-side, 
where  I  may  get  my  constitution  strengthened  and 
have  no  teinptalion  to  work  as  I  was  doing  at  home. 
He  has  positively  forbidden  me  to  go  into  crowded 
rooms,  Sunday-schools,  &c.,  or  to  sit  in  the  open  air. 
I  have  had  appliances  to  my  chest;  and  I  hope,  in 
time,  to  be  cither  restored  to  health  again,  or  to  go 
where  pain  aiid  sin  are  known  no  more — to  that  per- 
fect'rest  which  reinaineth.'  My  times  are  in  His 
liands." 

Yinet  has  remarked,  that  "those  who  hope  and 
trust  in  Jesus  Christ  present  us  with  a  strange  spec- 
tacle— that  of  weak,  fiail,  mortal  men,  for  whom  suf- 
fering and  death  are  no  longer  a  necessity  endured 
involuntarily,  but  in  sonit  sort  an  act  of  the  will,  be- 
cause, by  consenting  to  those  chastisements,  they 
transform  them  into  sacrifices."  It  was  so,  emphati- 
cally, with  Adelaide  Newton.  Not  suffering  "in 
spite  of  herself,"  but  consenting  cheerfully  before- 
hand fo  the  Master's  will,  she  was  to  find  in  her  com- 
ing .surterings,  only   "a  bitter  dew,"  which  should 


46  M  E  M  O  I  II     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

develope  and  mature  in  her  soul  the  gonn  of  faith 
and  of  hope. 

"Tlien  shall  tlicse  po-wcrs,  wliicli  work  for  grief, 
Enter  Thy  pay, 
And,  day  by  day, 
Labour  Tliy  praise  and  my  relief: 
With  care  and  courage  buikiing  me, 
Till  I  reach  lieav'n — and,  much  more,  Tlieel  " 

"What  an  unspeakable  mercy  it  is,"  she  writes  to 
a  fellow-sufferer,  "that  God  should  give  us  these 
trials,  and  should  care  so  much  for  us  as  to  watch 
over  them,  and  over  us  in  them — that,  through  them, 
Ave  may  be  brought  nigh  unto  llim  1  You  are,  I  am 
certain,  being  'led  by  the  right  way;'  and  if  it  is  a 
darker  way,  will  not  in  all  probability  the  result  be 
brighter  ?" 

And  to  another :  "You  know  that  each  drop  in 
your  bitter  cup  is  measured  out  to  you  by  the  unerr- 
ing hand  of  your  heavenly  Phj-sician,  \\ho  never 
makes  mistakes,  or  ceases  to  watch  His  patients  for 
one  moment.  Sometimes  I  rejoice  to  think  how 
very  soon  I  may  die ;  for  I  am  sadly  tied  and  bound 
by  the  chain  of  sin,  and  long  to  be  delivered  fnm) 
this  body  of  coiTuption :  but  I  oftener  thiidc  there  is 
too  much  to  be  done  in  me  before  I  am  '  made  meet' 
for  glory,  to  allow  me  to  die  yet.  How  calming  it  is 
to  remember  the  words  of  that  hymn — 

'"Till  Hk  bids,  I  cannot  die; 
When  the  time  IIk  wills  is  come, 
Kought  can  keep  nic  from  my  hjmc.' 


SUFFERIXGS     AND     SACRIFICES.         47 

A.nd  then  to  think  of  oui-  meeting  in  glory,  wliere 
(here  is  fulness  of  bliss  for  cvennore !  Oh  !  surely 
this  is  a  prospect  which  may  well  cheer  us  in  our 
wearisome  jnlgiimage  through  the  wilderness  of  lifo 
temporal.  Life  eternal  we  cannot  understand  at 
present ;  but  what  we  know  not  now,  we  shall  know 
hereafter.  I  will  try  and  pray  for  you  in  your 
present  trouble.  Let  us  not  double  the  anxieties  of 
to-day,  by  adding  those  of  to-morrow:  '  Suilicienf 
unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof.' " 

Cecil  observes,  that  "  such  is  the  state  of  the  world, 
and  so  much  depends  on  action,  that  everything  seems, 
to  say  loudly  to  every  man, '  Do  something — do  it — do 
it !' "  Dear  Adelaide  had  hitherto  been  an  earnest  doer : 
now  she  was  to  be  a  patient  endurer.  But,  though  no 
longer  able  to  "  speak"  much  about  "  the  King,"  her 
"  tongue"  was  transformed  into  "  the  pen  of  a  ready 
writer  ;"  and  greatly  was  the  Lord  to  bless  her  words 

"Is  it  not  wonderful,"  we  find  her  writing,  for 
example,  to  one  who  had  not  yet  decided  for  Christ, 
"  that  you  can  love  such  a  world  so  well  ?  It  is  ver\ 
hard  to  give  up  all  and  follow  Christ ;  indeed,  with 
men  it  is  impossible.  But,  blessed  be  God,  when  He 
makes  us  willing,  He  gives  us  the  needful  strength 
for  every  trial.  What  a  wonderful  reality  there  is  in 
these  things — so  difterent  from  the  head-knowledge 
which  so  many  possess,  who  never  will  be  partakers 
of  heaven  or  of  Christ !  It  is  hard,  veiy  hard,  to  be- 
come a  true  Christian ;  but  think,  only  for  ono 
moment,  what  is  the  only  alternative  !  Do  not  yon 
shudder  at  the  bare  idea  of  dying  unprepared  ?    Oh  ? 


18  MEMOIR     01"      A .     L .     N  K  W  T  O  N  . 

iny  doar  F ,  can  you  go  on  unconrcrncd,  at  tho 

bnnk  of  everlasting  death  ?  If  I  may  speak  from 
my  own  experience,  I  would  urge  you  not  to  leave 
the  spot  where  you  now  are,  nor  to  let  the  present 
moment  pass  by,  without  making  up  your  mind  at 
once  to  give  up  the  world  and  devote  yourself  to  IIim. 
Forgive  me,  and  don't  be  offended  ;  it  is  all  because 
I  love  you  so  much." 

['  One  ilay,  a  friend  romaiked  to  Cievhar  1  Tersteegen, 
'"God  has  much  ti'ouble  in  bringing  up  his  children." 
"  Yes,"  said  Tersteegen,  "  and  in  bringing  them 
down."  The  detaching  and  the  attaching  usually  go 
hand  in  hand.  "I  think,"  we  find  Adelaide  writing 
at  this  period,  "  God  has  been  teaching  us  both  the 
same  lesson,  though  by  different  means — namely, 
that  we  must  be  weaned  from  a  love  of  earthly  ob- 
jects and  find  ha])piness  in  IIim  alone.  I  have  by 
no  means  learned  the  lesson  yet  myself.  No  sooner 
is  ore  idol  removed  than  I  find  myself  setting  up  an- 
other immediately.  God  finds  in  me,  I  am  sure,  a 
most  rebellious,  wayward  child  ;  but  lie  deals  most 
wisely,  most  graciously  with  me.  Pray  that  we  both 
may  find  our  faith  growing  exceedingly,  and  our  love 
to  each  other  abounding,  whilst  the  love  of  so  many 
waxes  cold." 

Wandering  about  in  search  of  health,  she  writes 
to  one  of  her  sisters  thus  :  "I  have  been  getting  my 
Irish-reader  collection  made  up,  and,  thr(nifi:h  (xod's 
help,  sent  IG^.  yesterday.  One  of  my  tiials  now  is 
such  a  feeling  of  indolence  ami  inability  to  arouse 
myself — the  re-action,  I  suppose,  of  over-exertion  in 


THE     IRIS  11 -READER     COLLECTION.       49 

times  past.  How  you  woukl  laugh,  could  you  see  me 
at  this  moment !  sitting  all  alone  in  my  bed-room,  at 
the  open  window,  with  bonnet,  shawl,  and  everything 
on  !  I  quite  enjoy  the  air  and  the  sun  in  this  way ; 
and  I  must  submit  to  not  seeing  my  friends,  remem- 
bering the  blessedness  of  being  left  alone  with  Jesus. 
You  taught  me  that !" 

And  siie  adds :  "  I  can't  make  out  what means 

to  do  ;  but  it  is  the  very  best  thing  for  us  to  have  the 
world  embittered  to  us  in  all  ways.  Should  we  ever 
have  been  what  we  are,  if  we  had  had  the  uncrossed 
lives  so  many  young  people  lead  ?  And  I  believe,  the  | 
more  we  know  of  conformity  to  the  '  Man  of  sorrows,' 
as  lie  was  '  acquainted  with  grief,'  the  more  we  know 
of  Himself,  who   is  all  our  happiness,  our  joy,  our 

peace.     May  He  be  glorified  in  you,  dearest  N , 

where  you  now  are,  and  ask  the  same  for  your  fondly 
attached  sister,  Adelaide." 

''  The  "  Irish-reader  collection"  was  an  object  veiy 
near  to  her  heart.  "  I  am  sure,"  she  writes  to  the 
Secretary,  on  the  occasion  above  noted,  "  when  I  look 
upon  my  first  originating  this  little  plan,  I  cannot 
but  wonder  at  the  marvellous  success  which  God  has 
been  pleased  to  grant — not  so  much  in  my  own  case, 
as  in  raising  up,  through  us,  three  other  instruments 
in  the  same  service."  Four  missionaries  were  now  in 
that  field,  all  of  them  owing  the  means  of  cultivating 
it  entirely  to  her  exertions.  And  the  money  was  the 
least  element  contiibuted.  By  maintaining  a  constant 
correspondence  with  the  agent-s,  and  communicating 
the  leading  features  of  their  labours  to  a  large  circle 


50  M  E  M  O  I  11     OF     A  .     /, .     N  i:  W  T  O  N  . 

of  friends,  she  kept  alive  iu  many  hearts  a  glow  of 
devotion  on  behalf  of  the  worlc,  which  bore  its  fruits 
in  the  singular  blessing  with  whicli,  their  words  were 
attended. 

In  July  (184G)  she  returned  huniu  "much  worse." 
"The  air  of  Malvern,"  she  writes,  "was  too  keen  and 
bracing  for  me.  And  now  I  am  ordered,  as  soon  as 
possible,  to  go  to  the  sea,  iu  some  warm,  shellered 
place.  I  get  quite  impatient  at  times  to  have  done 
with  sin,  and  with  this  body  of  sin  which  I  carry 
about  with  me  ;  but  I  must  learn  to  wait  the  Lord's 
time.  It  is  difficult  to  learn  to  leave  everything  in 
the  hands  of  God ;  but  it  is  a  lesson  we  must  learn, 
and  we  must  be  thankful  for  any  means  by  which  we 
are  taught  it." 

Later  in  the  season  we  find  her  at  Sandgate.  Re- 
joicing over  one  who  had  at  length  consecrated  her- 
self to  God,  she  writes,  on  Sept.  29  :  "  God  has  dealt 
Avonderfully  with  you,  in  enabling  you  to  separate 
yourself  from  others  who  serve  Ilim  by  profession 
only.  I  cannot  help  rejoicing  with  you.  It  seems 
as  if  He  were  dealing  with  you  as  Avith  a  choice  plant, 
whom  He  would  shelter  from  the  withering  blasts 
which  would  have  assailed  you  at  home.  I  am  sure 
of  one  thing,  that  it  is  all  love,  and  that  it  is  just  be- 
cause He  loves  us  that  He  thinks  it  worth  while  to 
try  and  to  prune  lis.  But  I  must  ask  you  to  pray 
that  the  end  of  His  present  dealings  with  me  may  be 
fully  answered,  and  that  He  may  still  m.'ike  use  of 
me  in  His  service,  though  in  a  difterent  way  from 
that  I  have  been  used  to." 


A     OLE  AM     OF     SUNSHINE.  51 

From  Sandgate  she  went  to  London.  There  a 
gleam  of  sunshine  seemed  to  break  upon  her.  "  Mr. 
Evans'  words  to  me  yesterday,"  she  writes,  on  Nov.  2, 
"were — 'I  think  I  see  in  you  beginnings  of  tliat  im- 
provement which,  I  fully  beheve,  will  end  in  perfect 
restoration  by  the  time  you  are  leaving  Torquay.' 
So  that  I  must  look  upon  this  winter,"  she  adds,  "  as 
a  precious  opportunity,  which  I  may  never  have 
again,  of  growing  in  the  knowledge  of  God.  It  may 
be,  that  a  life  of  active  service  is  still  in  store  for  me ; 
but  I  delight  to  think  that  the  future  need  be  no 
source  of  anxiety  to  me,  and  that  our  chief  object 
ought  to  be  to  live  habitually  in  dependance  on  that 
sweet  promise,  'As  thy  day,  so  shall  the  strength  be.' 
How  sweet  it  is  to  lie  passive  in  His  hands,  and  tc 
know  no  will  but  His !" 


CHAPTEK  V. 

"Our  drive  through  the  vale,"  writes  a  Swiss 
traveller,  "  brought  us  full  in  the  view  of  the  snowy 
Blumlis  Alps  at  sunset.  "What  a  form  of  majesty 
and  glory  1  IIow  lie  thugs  the  flaming  mantle  of 
the  evening  sun  down  upon  us,  as  if  he  were  him- 
self about  to  ascend  in  fire  from  earth  to  heaven  !" 
Adelaide  Newton  now  enters  on  a  course  of  discipline 
which  reminds  us,  at  every  step,  of  that  sun-mantled 
Alp. 

Torquay  is  a  spot  around  which  not  a  few  assem- 
ble sadly  fragrant  memories.  Dear  Adelaide  is  not 
the  only  saint  whose  evening  sun  has  here  shed  its 
cheering  rays.     But  not  often  has 

"An  unimpeded  commerce  with  the  sun" 

:iluminc<l    with   so   bright  a  glor}'  a  ])ilgrim  in  her 
cvcningdiour. 

She  reached  Toiquay  in  November,  184G.  At  first 
it  seemed  as  if  she  might  again  be  restored  to  liealth. 
"  I  submitted,"  she  writes,  "  to  a  regular  visitation 
from  Dr. this  morning.  So  far  as  human  fore- 
sight can  foretell  future  events,  I  suj)j)Ose  I  may 
expect  ere  long  to  be  back  again  in  the  woiM,  as  I 


TORQUAY.  53 

shall  call  returning  to  my  old  pursuils.  It  is  giving 
up  self,"  she  adds,  "  which  is  so  hard,  and  which 
makes  us  most  like  Christ." 

In  her  Diary,  v,e  find,  under  January  1,  1847,  this 
earliest  entry  :  "Begin  this  year  at  Torquay,  having 
been  ordered  here  by  Dr.  Latham,  and  in  God's  mer- 
ciful providence,  placed  under  Dr. 's  care.     May 

I  this  year  realize  by  faith,  and  prayer,  and  medita- 
tion on  such  chapters  as  John  xvii.,  1  Cor.  ii.,  Eph. 
i.  and  iii.,  the  personal  and  substantial  presence  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  within  me,  maintaining  an  absolute 
oneness  with  the  very  body  of  Christ,  and  in  Christ, 
with  His  Godhead — John  xvii.  23.  His  body,  the 
Church,  filled  with  all  the  fulness,  of  God  !  This  is 
the  hope  of  my  calling,  and  this  th.e  exceeding  riches 
of  the  glory  of  my  inheritance  in  the  saints!" 

From  her  new  home  she  writes :  "  When  you 
think  of  me,  pray  that  I  may  have  grace  to  make  a 
diligent  use  of  my  piesent  opportunities  for  growing 
in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God,  Avhilst  laid  aside 
from  ordinary  home  duties  and  pursuits.  Never 
apologise,"  she  adds,  "for  filHng  a  letter  with 
thoughts  about  Christ's  Second  Coming.  What 
theme  so  worthy  of  those  whom  He  has  taught  to  be 
looking  for  Him?  I  only  long  to  have  my  own 
thoughts  more  perpetually  turned  towards  Him." 

And  a  week  or  t(vo  later,  alluding  to  an  instance 
of  Divine  power  attending  the  words  which  her  cor- 
respondent had  spoken,  she  writes:  "I  hope  it  will 
encourage  you  to  visit  all  you  can,  sowing  the  seed 
of  the  Word,  which   God   will  own.     You   in(iuiro 


64  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

about  myself.  Sometimes  I  am  very  happy,  and 
sometimes  under  a  cloud ;  but  Jesus  is  always  the 
same.  Let  us  seek  to  grow  up  iuto  Him  more  aud 
more,  till  we   can  say  from   the   heart,  '  Christ   is 

ALL.'  " 

Her  symptoms  became  less  favourable.  "  Yester- 
day," she  writes,  January  8,  to  one  of  her  sistei>,  "  I 

was  saying  to  Miss  E ,  I  should  really  be  soriy 

when  the  time  came  for  me  to  leave  Torquay.  '  I'm 
not  sure,'  she  replied,  veiy  kindly, '  that  you  ever  will 
have  to  leave  it.'  I  instantly  replied,  '  Oh  !  I'm  not 
going  always  to  live  here.'     And  she  added,  '  Well, 

from  all  Dr. has  lately  told  me,  he  has  quite 

given  me  the  impression,  that  he  thinks  it  Mill  be 
necessary  for  you  to  live  in  a  mild  climate.'  I  am 
not  much  given  to  anticipate ;  and  when  I  think  of 
the  extreme  uncertainty  of  life,  it  would  bo  vain  to 
be  looking  forward  :  but  it  proves  very  plainly  to  my 
mind,  tiiat  I  have  little  or  no  prospect  of  ever  being 
sti'ong,  which  at  times  comes  over  me  with  a  degree 
of  shrinking;  and  yet  if  it  is  to  make  me  reflect 
mure  of  the  image  of  a  suffering  Saviour,  I  am  sure 
I  ought  to  be  the  last  to  complain." 

And  to  the  same,  on  January  15  :  "You  cannot 
think  how  I  enjoyed  the  Sacrament;  only  I  got  so 
tired.  I  don't  think  I  am  so  well  altogether  since  I 
cnme  here.  Some  time  ago,  I  never  could  have 
believed  that  I  could  be  so  happy — cut  off  from  all 
active  work  for  God  as  I  am  now.  I  feel  as  if  it 
would  l)e  quite  a  blessing  to  have  a  constant  reminder, 
in  this  body  of  sin,  that  this  is  not  my  rest.     It  will 


INCREASING     ILLNESS.  65 

be  a  constant  proof  of  the  chastening  hand  of  God 
upon  rae." 

And  again :  "  I  am  more  and  inoro  persuaded, 
that  it  is  -wrono:  so  to  lone:  for  death,  as  I  sometimes 
do ;  for  nowhere  in  Scripture  is  it  set  before  us  as  a 
subject  for  hope,  but  always  the  Lord's  Second  Com- 
ing ;  and,  therefore,  it  is  not  our  own  selfish  gratifi- 
cation in  the  release  from  such  a  life  which  is  our 
hope,  but  the  glory  of  Christ  in  the  perfected  con- 
dition of  the  whole  body  at  Ilis  coming.  At  the 
longest,  it  is  but  '  a  little  while.'  Oh  !  what  a  com- 
fort !  I  am  enjoying  '  Howe  on  the  Righteous'  very 
much  ;  on  Ps.  xvii.  15,  he  speats  so  very  animatingly 
of  likeness  to  Go  J,  and  of  the  glory  we  shall  then 
enter  upon !  But  what  a  subject  it  is  for  worms 
like  us  to  think  about !  Oh !  for  growing  likeness 
to  Him  now  !" 

It  is  not  easy  to  praise  the  Lord  in  the  fires.  And 
yet  if  these  fires,  not  touching  a  hair  of  the  garment, 
only  loose  the  bonds,  is  there  not  cause  for  praise  ? 
"I  am  beginning  to  think,"  dear  Adelaide  writes  to 
a  fellow-sufterer,  at  the  beginning  of  February,  "  that 
His  chastenings  arc  actually  the  strongest  proofs  of 
His  intense  love  to  us ;  and  how  sweet  that  makes 
them,  none  know  but  those  who  learn  it,  as  you  and 
I  are  learning  it  now." 

As  the  Avinter  advanced,  her  illness  grew  more 
alaiming.  A  sister,  whose  "  happy  privilege  it  was 
to  be  appointed  her  companion,"  writes:  "At  the 
end  of  January  she  became  inueh  worse ;  and  she 
coiitiimeil  very  ill  indeed  through  February  and  part 


66  M  E  M  ()  1  K     U  V     A  .     I. .     N  K  \V  TON. 

of  March  ;  but,  towards  the  iloj^e  of  thuv  mouth,  the 
hectic  fcviT  and  the  iuicoasiiigiics.s  of  her(;ough  rather 
abated." 

Aud  anotlier  trial  was  added.  "  I  nevar  remember 
to  have  endured,"  Adelaide  writes  to  another  of  her 
sisters,  on  Pebruary  22  (ISlY),  "more  intense  paiu 
than  durinc;  the  last  fortnight ;  and,  the  last  day  or 
two,  mental  anguish  has  aggravated  bodily  sufiering, 
to  a  degree  I  never  at  all  understood  before.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  Satan  took  advantage  of  the  state  of 
extreme  weakness  I  was  reduced  to,  to  make  his 
temptations  the  more  effectual;  but  s.tonger  is  lie 
that  is  in  us,  than  he  that  is  against  Ui,  blessed  be 
God !  And  I  delight  to  tell  you,  for  your  own  en- 
couragement, that  yesterday  in  the  midst  of  such 
mental  darkness  and  bodily  pain,  I  still  felt  the  as- 
surance that  God  was  the  same  unchanged  God  as 
when  I  was  able  to  feel  Ilim  precious  to  me.  I 
rcould  not  liolp  thinking  that  it  might  be  in  answer 
to  a  prayer  I  have  often  prayed  with  trembling, '  that 
I  might  know  Ilim  aud  the  fellowship  of  His  suffer- 
ings,' that  1  was  made  to  taste  of  the  bitterness  of 
that  cup  which  He  drank  when  temjited  of  the  devil ; 
,  for  that,  too,  was  at  a  season  of  peculiar  bodily  weak- 
'  ness." 

And  she  adds :  "  I  like  to  tell  you  all  this,  dearest 

N ,  because  I  feel  it  is  real  experience,  which  is 

worth  many  thousand  times  as- much  written  from 
head-knowledge  of  l>ible-truths.  I  am  certain  now 
that  it  is  only  in  the  furnace  we  are  purged  from  sin. 
And,  however  trying  it  may  be,  I  hope  you  will  prar 


GOD     S     GENTLE     i'RESSURE.  57 

that  God  may  accomplisli  all  His  will  in  me,  1  want 
to  feel  more  thankfulness  for  His  chastening  love,  and 
not  to  shrink  from  sutl'ering." 

She  began  to  "  get  into  smoother  waters  again." 
"Positivelj',  I  am  wonderfully  better,"  she  writes, 
April  9 ;  "  and  what  is  more,  I  am  thankful  to  be 
so.     It  is  God's  mercy,  and   shall   be  continued  at 

His  pleasure.     At  one  time  Dr, thought  very 

badly  of  me,  and  I  really  hoped  my  pilgiimage  on 
earth  was  nearly  lam  ;  but  if  God  should  call  mo 
back  to  the  world  again,  do  pray  that  I  may  be  kept 
from  a  worldly  spirit.  In  this  '  light  affliction'  God 
has  been  making  me  feel,  by  gentle  pressure,  that  He 
is  holding  me  tightly  in  His  hand.  Oh  !  what  a 
mercy  to  be  so  kept !" 

Nothing  proves  so  aftectingly  our  lack  of  likeness 
to  God,  as  the  faintness  of  our  compassion  for  perish- 
ing souls.  God  loved  the  world  so  much  that  He 
gave  His  dear  Son  for  it ;  we  love  the  world  so  little, 
that  too  often  we  feel  it  an  otlbrt  to  tell  men  that 
God  has  given  Him.  One  of  the  lessons  which  dear 
Adelaide  was  learning  in  the  school  of  trial,  was  an 
iutenser  sympathy  Avith  God  in  this  matter.  "I 
wonder,"  she  writes  to  one  of  her  sisters,  ''  what  you 

and  G are  doing  to-day   to  make  known  the 

riches  of  God's  mercy  to  fallen  men.  Oh  !  the  ho- 
nour of  rescuing  but  one  soul  from — oh !  I  wish 
I  thought  more  what  it  is  from.  How  much  more 
thankful  we  should  be,  if  we  d'd  !"  And,  on  another 
occasion,  referring  to  a  woman  in  her  district,  who 
was  very  ill :  "  Dc  give  Mrs.  P.  a  kind  message  from 


68  ME  MO  in     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

me  wlion  you  see  her,  and  ask  her  if  she  remcmbera 
a  long  conversation  I  had  with  her  last  May,  urging 
her  not  to  put  off  seeking  Clirist  till  she  came  to  be 
ill  ?  I  suppose  she  had  a  '  Just  as  I  am  ;'  will  you 
a«;k  her  to  consider  that  as  my  message  to  her,  and 
entreat  her  not  to  rest  happy  one  moment  till  she  has 
come  to  Christ?     I  have  so  often  repented  of  not 

having  sent  a  special  message  to  poor  Mrs.  R , 

that  I  am  doubly  anxious  not  to  lose  this  oppor- 
tunity ;  and  I  never  but  once  spoke  faithfully  to  Mrs. 
P ." 

If  dear  Adelaide  was  unworldly,  she  was  not  un- 
human.  llcr  warm,  genial  heai't  liad  an  ear  for 
nature's  symphonies.  "The  day  was  lovely,"  she 
writes,  April  14,  "  and  this  place  so  exquisitely  beau- 
tiful, that  perhaps  natural  feelings  excite  me  too 
much.  Yet  God  has  given  us  all  these  things  'richly 
to  enjoy ;'  and  when  we  can  enjoy  them,  I  believe  we 
ought.  Sometimes  it  is  a  burden  to  me  even  to  hear 
the  birds  sing,  so  little  do  I  yet  know  of  the  joy  God 
has  in  all  His  works !" 

One  of  her  greatest  trials  this  winter  was  her 
inability  to  attend  public  oidinances.  In  her  Diary, 
she  writes:  '■'■Sunday,  April  11. — The  thirteenth 
Sunday  spent  at  home  1  '  Lord,  show  me  wherefore 
thou  contendest  with  me.' "  And  writing  to  a 
friend,  April  20,  she  says :  "  It  is  now  fourteen  Sun- 
days  since  I  was  in  church ;  and  you  may  imagine 
what  this  is  to  me,  who,  sooner  than  stay  away,  have 
more  than  once  actually  got  up  out  of  bed  to  go. 


LONELY     SABBATHS.  69 

But  God  is  al)le  to  make  all  grace  abound  towards 
me." 

A  little  iucident,  which  had  occurred  at  Leylands 
the  previous  summer,  illustrates  this  feature  of  her 
character.  Living  at  some  distance  from  town,  she 
was  not  in  the  habit  of  attending  evening  service. 
"We  were  dreadfully  starved,"  writes  one  of  her 
sisters,  "  with  our  afternoon  sermons  that  summer ; 
and  she  and  I  were  allowed  to  go  in  the  evening 
again  in  consequence,  as  long  as  daylight  lasted. 
But  each  Sunday  we  feared  it  would  be  the  last 
When  it  came,  I  was  comforting  myself  by  singing 
hymns  in  the  garden,  whilst  the  bells  were  ringing 
for  evening  service.  Presently  she  came  out,  saying, 
'  How  can  you  sing  V  I  reminded  her  of  an  expo- 
sition we  had  heard  and  enjoyed  at  a  fi-iend's  house, 
on  Ps.  cxxxi.,  and  said,  'I  was  trying  to  behave 
and  quiet  myself  hke  a  weaned  child.'  '  Oh,'  she 
said,  '  so  was  I ;  but  those  seem  so  blessed  who  can 
still  be  praising  God  in  His  house — who  can  dwell 
there  ; — I  long  for  it  so.  To  hear  the  bells  is  more 
than  I  can  bear ;  I  shut  myself  in  ray  room,  and 
bulled  my  head,  while  I  was  tiyiug  to  bear  the  dis- 
appointment.' " 

And  she  "  took  heed  how  she  heard."  The  same 
informant  adds:  "She  never  would  speak,  if  she 
could  avoid  it,  after  leaving  church,  and  often 
begged  I  Avould  not  talk  to  her  as  we  walked  home, 
even  though  it  should  oidy  bo  about  the  sermon  we 
liad  heard." 

But,  shut  out  from  the  sanctuary,  dear  Adelaide 


80  MEMOIR     OF     A.     h.     NEWTON. 

liad  Other  joys.  "I  enjoy  my  Bible,"  she  writes, 
April  23,  "when  quite  alone,  so  that  I  have  no  room 
for  complaining.  I  can  never  he  sufficiently  thank- 
ful for  havifig  such  an  opportunity  of  learning  some- 
thing of  God,  and  of  what  Ho  becomes  to  us  in 
Christ — a  very  present  help  in  trouble."  And  to 
her  sister,  a  day  or  two  later,  thus :  "  I  sot.ietimes 
enjoy  my  lonely  Sundays  very  much,  and  r.hey  go 
quicker  than  ever.  And  no  wonder,  when  tliey  are 
spent  in  the  study  of  that  blessed  Word  which  is  the 
very  life  of  the  soul !     God  can  feed  us  both  with 

Himself,  dear  N ,   without   either   ministers    or 

church ;  and  it  is  well  worth  being  deprived  of  the 
comfort  of  either  or  both,  to  be  driven  to  Him,  the 
fountain  of  living  waters. 

"  '  Break  all  thy  schemes  of  earthly  joy, 
That  thou  mayest  fiud  thine  all  in  MeI" 

Is  not  that  just  our  experience  at  this  very  time?" 

And  in  another  direction  she  was  tasting  the  same 
flesh-crucifying  but  soul-profiting  experience.  "I 
see  plainly,"  she  writes,  "that  both  in  you  and  in  me 
there  is  a  tendency  to  fonn  an  idolatrous  kind  of  at- 
tachments; and  God  in  mercy  makes  us  feel  that  they 
are  not  Himself.  Wliat  a  bitter  lesson  it  is  to  learn, 
and  how  much  teaching  we  have  taken  to  lea^n  eveu 
what  we  have  learned  !" 

Herbert,  in  his  "  Country  Parson,"  has  a  chapter 
on  "The  Parson  in  Circuit,"  in  which  he  describes, 
after  his  Dwn  quaint  fashion,  the  method  of  a  tiue 
Bhcpherd.     Describing  a  visit  from  a  dear  servant  of 


THE     SUNKEN     FENCE.  61 

Christ,  who  had  come  a  considerable  distance  to  see 
her,  Adelaide  Avrites,  "April  9  (1847) :" 

"  Mr.  Dallas  walked  up  to  the  window  at  Holm 
Cottage  with  B.,  about  half-past  two  ;  and  as  he  came 
into  the  room,  -and  took  my  hand — while  we  stood, 
he  prayed  that  the  Holy  Spirit  might  be  with  us,  to 
mrike  our  intercourse  profitable  and  to  God's  glory, 
for  Jesus  Christ's  sake. 

"  As  B.  walked  up  with  him,  he  had  asked  if  be 
might  speak  out  plainly  to  me,  or  if  I  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  death,  &c.  ?  She  said  he  might ; 
so  the  moment  she  left  the  room,  he  began  to  talk 
to  me,  asking  me  if  I  thought  much  about  going  to 
be  with  Christ  ?  if  I  could  bear  to  think  about  dying, 
or  if  I  felt  afraid  of  it  ?  When  I  said  I  did  not,  he 
said  it  was  right  to  have  a  sense  of  the  horrid  nature 
of  death  as  part  of  the  curse  of  sin,  and  that  it 
should  not  be  regarded  as  a  light  thing.  But  he 
was  '  very  thankful'  to  find  that  he  might  talk  to  me 
so  quietly  about  it ;  and  he  said,  what  a  wonderful 
thing  it  was  that  two  redeemed  sinners  could  talk  in 
that  way  of  what  the  world  shrinks  from  the  bare 
mention  of.  How  it  magnified  the  grace  of  God, 
which  had  wrought  such  a  change  in  us !  He  said 
he  hoped  I  could  look  on  death  as  a  sunken  fence, 
j-.n  1  look  over  it  and  beyond  it  to  the  glory  on  the 
otlier  side.  Then  he  talked  a  great  deal  about  the 
Second  Coming  of  Jesus,  the  first  resurrection,  and 
how  near  he  thinks  it  is. 

"  He  spoke  next  to  me  about  depressions  in  illness 
— the  mind  being  acted  on  by  the  body  -that  at 


62  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

such  times,  wliatever  we  may  feel,  the  believer  is 
just  as  safe  as  when  asleep,  and  that  the  veiy  sorrow 
we  feel  at  our  inability  to  pray,  &c.,  is  actually  com- 
munion with  God — it  is  the  Spirit  working  in  our 
hearts.  He  also  talked  to  me  about  sleep.  He  said 
the  best  remedy  for  calming  an  agitated  mind  (which, 
after  all,  was  the  cause  generally  of  wakeful  nights) 
was  to  fix  the  mind  on  one  thought,  such  as  Christ 
upon  the  cross. 

"  Then  he  knelt  down  and  prayed  for  me,  that  I 
might  enjoy  much  of  His  presence — much  of  the 
Spirit's  teaching — very  near  and  close  communion 
with  God — a  sense  of  acceptance  through  Jesus,  that 
all  God's  pui-i)0ses  might  be  fulfilled,  and  the  end  of 
my  coming  here,  &c.,  be  fully  realized,  and  that  I 
might  have  patience  to  wait  God's  ai^pointed  time 
for  going  to  be  with  Jesus,  &c.,  &c.  Then  he  prayed 
for  B,,  and  for  each  member  of  our  family,  and  for 
all  we  loved  in  the  Lord,  and  that  such  as  were  not 
yet,  might  be  speedily  gathered  into  His  fold;  so 
that,  whether  we  were  among  the  dead  in  Christ,  or 
the  living  who  were  to  be  caught  up  to  meet  them, 
we  might  be  '  for  ever  with  the  Lord.'  " 

We  give  these  jottings,  both  as  indicating  the 
method  of  visitation  which  meets  such  an  invalid's 
necessities,  and  also  as  opening  up  a  glimpse  into 
dear  Adelaide's  own  heart. 

Grace  had  adorned  with  a  most  engaging  patience 
a  temperament  naturally  somewhat  quick.  "  As  we 
moved  from  lodging  to  lodging,"  says  her  sister,  who 
was  with  her,  "  suiting  the  warmer  and  lower  situa- 


PATIENCE     UNDER    LITTLE    TRIALS.       63 

tions  to  the  colder  weeks  of  winter,  she  rejoiced  in 
believing  that  in  each  she  gained  something  which 
she  could  not  have  had  without  the  move,  though 
that  moving  was  in  itself  irritating  to  her  natural  dis- 
position, and  sometimes,  when  so  ill,  a  real  trial." 

"  In  every  lodging,"  her  sister  adds,  "  she  studied 
to  make  friends  with  our  landlady  and  sei'vants  in 
order  to  do  them  good.  Though  I  chiefly  waited 
upon  her,  some  things — such  as  cleaning  her  rooms, 
lighting  her  bedroom  fire,  &c. — brought  her  into 
immediate  contact  with  the  young  servant  girls,  and 
her  patience  with  each  one  having  to  be  taught  ex- 
actly how  she  wanted  things  to  be  done,  often  struck 
me.  One,  a  girl  named  Jemima,  especially  annoyed 
her.  She  was  very  dull ;  yet  dearest  Adelaide  beg- 
ged me  to  try  and  teach  her  about  spiritual  thing's — 
would  often  ask  about  her  interest  in  them,  and  if 
I  observed  any — and  afterwards  she  took  her  in 
hand  herself.  Indeed,  several  of  these  people  have 
told  me  how  they  prized  her  words,  and  t!>at  they 
believed  they  'had  got  quite  a  blessing  from  her.'" 

In  May,  "  it  was  thought  that  the  journey  and  the 
excitement  of  going  homo  would  most  probaby 
aggravate  her  illness  beyond  the  hope  of  recovery." 
"  I  have  had  a  most  precious  winter  here,"  she  writes, 
May  14,  "during  which  God  has  been  teaching  me 
for  eternity.  Oh !  how  sweet  it  is  to  hold  commu- 
nion with  our  Heavenly  Father!  It  is  just  a  fore- 
t<iste  of  wdiat  heaven  will  be ;  but  there  we  shall  bo 
treed  from  these  vile,  clogging  bodies.  To  be  told 
}ou  have  an  incurable  disease  is  nothing  alanning  to 


64  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

me  ;  so  far  from  it,  that  it  only  makes  inc  hope  '  vul 
will  soon  accomplish  His  work  in  me,  if  such  be  l/ia 
will,  and  thon  take  me  to  be — where  He  is !  \^  li9t 
a  thought !" 

A  month  later,  liowever,  she  had  so  far  recovi  red 
as  to  warrant  her  return-  to  Leylands.  "  And  so 
ends,"  she  writes  in  her  Diary  on  June  15,  "  my 
happy,  privileged  sojourn  of  betwixt  seven  and  eirht 
months  at  Torquay  !  I  think  it  has  been  with  rt  3  a 
training  place  for  heaven,  though  God  has  not  s>,en 
meet  to  transplant  me  there.  Oh  !  for  a  more  tha'jk- 
ful  heart  for  the  very  peculiar  tenderness  which  has 
marked  all  His  dealings  with  me,  and  rendered  it  so 
sweet,  so  endeared  a  spot  to  me  during  my  pilgriiu- 
age,  especially  in  regard  to  the  sweet  communion 
with  Christian  friends,  much  of  which  will,  I  trust 
not  pass  away  as  fruitless,  but  remain  for  eternity ! 
I  thank  God  for  giving  them  to  me  just  when  lie 
knew  I  needed  the  comfort  of  them.  May  I  trust 
Him  for  suflScient  grace  for  every  future  need !" 

And  on  reaching  home,  she  writes  f  o  a  friend  :  "  I 
am  here  again  for  a  time,  though  I  must  sjiend  the 
few  next  winters  in  Torquay,  they  tell  me,  if  I  live. 
Oh  !  what  an  if  that  is !  God  has  been  preparing 
me  for  going  to  be  with  Him  in  His  own  time,  be  it 
sooner  or  later.  I  only  pray  that,  if  His  will  is  that 
I  should  live,  my  life  may  be  more  than  ever  devoted 
to  His  single  service." 

And,  indeed,  she  "  did  what  she  could."  Writing 
at  this  pciiod  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Ii'ish  Missions, 
bIic  savs  :  "I  enclose  O'Gonnor's  s:ilarv  fi^r  tlu.'  ncv*^ 


A     8  E  C  R  E  T .  66 

quarter.  I  am  thaukful  to  be  well  euongli  to  write 
and  road,  and  work.  I  think  now  that  it  will  become 
my  duty  to  do  Avhat  needlework  I  can  for  the  Soci- 
ety, as  more  active  work  is  impossible.  In  that  and 
in  some  such  ways  I  may  do  something,  however 
little,  in  the  service  of  that  Redeemer  who,  when  He 
bought  me,  bought  my  time  and  talents,  and  requires 
all  to  be  used  for  Ills  glory." 

One  of  the  methods  by  which  she  helped  forward 
the  work  in  Ireland  was  by  her  pen.  We  close  this 
chapter  with  a  specimen  of  some  of  her  earnest  ap- 
peals to  the  Irish  her.rt : 

'•A   SECRET: 
"  '  His  secret  is  wiLli  tlio  righteous.' 

"I've  just  heard  a  bit  of  uncommon  good  news 
fiom  Ireland ;  and  in  these  times,  when  the  plague 
is  already  begun  among  the  people,  I  think  it  is  a 
shame  to  keoj)  it  to  myself. 

"Everybody  knows  how  bad  the  cholera  is,  and 
nobody  can  say  that  they  mayn't  be  the  next  to  be 
taken  with  it ;  but  eveiybody  does  not  know  how  to 
live  through  it. 

"  I've  just  lieard  of  a  '  Healer  ;'  and  if  you  like  to 
know  where  He  is,  I'll  tell  you.  The  word  '  Jesus,' 
in  Irish,  means  '  Healer ;'  and  Jesus  is  the  most 
wonderful  man  for  heahng  disease  that  ever  was 
heard  of.  It  is  true  He  is  out  of  sight ;  but  then  He 
is  in  heavot),  every  bit  as  true  a  man  as  He  was  when 
He  came  down  from  the  mountain  and  the  leper  met 
Him,  saying,  '  I^ord,  if  thou  wilt,  tliou  canst  maka 
0* 


66  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

rae  clean.  And  Josus  put  fortli  His  liaiid  and 
touched  him,  saying,  I  will,  be  thou  clean.'  And 
ffis  Word  had  that  divine  power  in  it,  that '  imme- 
diately his  leprosy  was  cleansed.'     (Matt.  viii.  2,  3.) 

"  If  Jesus  was  a  Healer  tlion,  Jesus  is  a  Healer 
still.  But  the  most  wonderful  part  of  the  secret  is, 
that  His  Word  has  got  that  divine  power  in  it,  that, 
to  anybody  wlio  asks,  He  can  give  life  without  end, 
and  euro  them  of  death  altogether.  '  The  gift  of 
God  is  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.' 
(Rom.  vi.  23.)  He  can  send  a  breath  of  the  Spirit 
of  life  into  us,  and  make  our  bodies  temples  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  so  that  no  matter  what  may  happen  to 
the  earthly  hut  of  these  clay  tabernacles  which  we 
now  inhabit — they  may  decay  and  they  may  die,  but 
the  immortal  inhabitant  lives  on  and  on  for  ever !  The 
spirit  of  life  which  is  in  them  only  changes  earth  for 
heaven ;  and,  since  it  came  from  heaven,  it's  no 
grief  to  it  to  return  to  heaven.  It  only  wants  to 
take  all  it  loves  along  with  it. 

"  Wlio  will  come  ?  Who  will  get  this  heavenly 
life,  and  go  to  heaven  when  they  die  ?  I  vei'ily 
believe  it  only  wants  asking  for. 

"There  is  one  thing  more  about  this  secret,  and 
that  is,  why  so  few  people  give  any  credit  to  it  ?  My 
answer  is,  just  because  it  is  '  secret.'  If  Jesus  the 
*  Healer' was  seen  walking  in  the  streets,  some  few 
might  beheve  their  own  eyes  when  they  saw  Ilim. 
But  this  is  what  I  have  to  say : 

"Heifi//  be  seen  soon — for  '  every  eye  shall  see 
Ilim' — but  it  will   be  too  late  to  be  healed  then. 


THEHEALER.  6*7 

lie  is  the  Healer — now.  The  cures  are  wrought  by 
faith,  not  by  sight.  The  Hfe  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  It 
is  secret  now — '  Your  Ufe  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.' 
But  it  will  be  plain  enough  by  and  bye,  '  For  when 
Christ  who  is  our  life  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also 
appear  with  Him  in  glory.'  (Col.  iii.  3,  4.) 
" '  A  man  shall  bo  as  an  hiding  place.' " 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  I  AM  certain  there  must  be  more  growth  in  (^Fcace, 
more  study  of  tbe  Word  and  character  of  God,  and 
more  time  given  to  it — in  fact,  it  must  be  more  our 
business  (Luke  ii.  49) — if  we  are  to  be  exalted 
Christians."  In  these  words — written  in  June,  1847 
— Adehiide  Newton  indirectly  expressed  her  own 
personal  life. 

"It  was  indeed  a  privilege,"  writes  one  who  knew 
ber  well  at  this  period,  "  to  be  with  her  and  to  enjoy 
her  heaven-born  thoughts. 

"  '  In  everything  she  said  or  did, 
There  was  a  touch  of  heaven.' 

I  was  struck,  especially,  with  lier  complete  absorp- 
tion in  the  Bible.  She  was  always  digging  in  the 
precious  mine  ;  and  this  gave  to  her  mind  a  peculiar 
tone — that  of  searching  for  the  mind  of  God  iu 
everything." 

In  reading  the  "Word,  she  was  never  content  if 
God  was  "  silent"  to  her.  "  Silence,"  we  find  lier 
writing,  "  betwixt  our  souls  and  God  is  one  of  the 
most  painful  trials  we  endure ;  even  as  wo  know  tlie 


A  n  S  O  R  r  T I O  N     IN     THE     BIBLE.  69 

bitter  trial  it  is  when  n,  much-loved  friend  will  not 
speak  to  us.  David  felt  what  it  was  to  bo  silent 
towards  God  throuo^h  his  sin.  '  When /kept  silence, 
my  bones  waxed  old  through  my  roaring  all  the  day 
long;  my  moisture  is  turned  into  the  drought  of 
summer.'  It  brings  such  withering  deadness  over 
the  soul.  Oh  !  why  do  we  not  '  acknowledge' — sj)eak 
out — 'our  iniquity?'  David  knew  also  what  it  was 
for  God  to  be  silent  towards  him  :  hence  his  praver 
— 'Be  not  silent  to  me ;  lest,  if  thou  be  silent  to  me, 
I  become  like  them  that  go  down  into  the  pit.'  The 
word  rendered  '  silence'  denotes  a  willing  or  voluntary 
silence  as  opposed  to  being  'dumb'  and  unable  to 
speak.  How  often  wo  provoke  the  Lord  to  silence ! 
like  a  father  who  cannot  talk  freely  to  his  child,  be- 
cause it  has  displeased  him  !  Alas  !  how  many  hours 
and  days,  as  well  as  moments,  we  lose  in  silence, 
which  might  be  spent  in  happy,  holy  intercourse 
with  our  God  !  How  blessed  it  is  when  He  is  '  not 
silent' — when  we  hear  His  voice  in  every  word  wo 
read  in  Scripture — when  we  hear  Ilim  speaking 
♦peace!'  'Sp<'ak,  Lord !'" 

Here  lay  the  secret  of  her  heavenly  walk.  It  was 
literally  a  walk  with  God — a  living  fellowship — an 
interchange  of  thought — God  uttering  His  thoughts 
to  her  in  the  Word,  and  she  uttering  her  thoughts 
to  God  at  the  throne.  On  either  side  she  could  not 
brook  "  silence." 

It  was  this  holy  and  happy  fellowship  with  the 
Father  and  with  the  Son  which  gave  to  her  words 
and  to  her  whole  life  so  sweet  a  fraorrance.     "  I  am 


70  M  E  M  O  I  n     OF     A  .     I. .     N  K  W  T  O  N  . 

sure  that  letter-writ. ng  ouly  on  ordinary  subjects," 
she  says,  July  7  (1847),  "  is  a  sad  waste  of  precious 
time,  and  very  unpardonable  amongst  the  Lord's 
people,  who  ought,  in  their  writing,  ;i.s  well  as  in  their 
life  and  conversation,  to  be  ditierent  from  the  world 
around  them."  And  she  proceeds:  " It  is  very  try- 
ing for  all  three  of  you  to  be  so  much  out  of  health ; 

but,  dearest   M ,  you   are   able  to  feel   that   it 

is  all  exactly  right  and  for  the  very  best,  are  you 
not  ?  We  who  know  something  of  the  utterly  un- 
satisfying nature  of  this  world's  worth,  through  sick- 
ness or  bereavcTnent  or  other  trials,  feel  the  want  of 
One  who  can  sympathize  with  us  in  it  all,  and  is  in 
Himself  sufficient  to  make  amends  for  all.  And 
surely  Jesus  is!  We  only  need  to  know  llim,  to  be 
sure  of  it ;  and  every  fresh  view  of  Him  shows  but 
the  more  entirely  how  'altogether  lovely'  He  is." 

A  friend  had  asked  her  if  she  thought  it  "  a  duty 
to  pray  for  restoration  to  health."  Replying  to  the 
inquiry,  July  9,  she  says:  "Don't  you  think  it 
would  not  be  wrong  to  do  so,  even  though  it  were 
God's  purpose  not  to  grant  it  ?  for  we  have  the 
example  of  Christ  Himself  praying  earnestly  for 
what  God  never  intended  to  grant;  only,  it  was 
with  Him,  and  ought  always  to  be  with  us,  accom- 
panied by,  '  Nevertheless,  not  what  I  will,  but  what 
thou  wilt.'  From  this,  would  it  not  almost  seem  as 
if  we  might  pray  about  anything  and  everything,  so 
long  only  as  we  ask  all  in  submission  to  the  will  of 
God  ?  Don't  you  think  that  God  will  in  some  way 
or  other  hiniler  as  fron:  asking  what  we  ought  not, 


SYMPATHY     OF     CHRIST.  71 

or  asking  too  deteiininately  for  any  particular  thiijg, 
as  He  did  St.  Paul  ?  He  was  set  upon  the  removal 
of  the  '  thorn  in  the  flesh,'  and  prayed  (he  says) 
thrice  about  it ;  and  then  God  stopped  him,  not 
telling  him  he  had  done  wrong,  but  only  assuring 
him  that  His  grace  was  sufficient  to  enable  him  to 
bear  it.  I  readily  believe  He  will  deal  with  us  in  the 
same  way,  and  that  sincere  prayer  for  the  teaching 
of  God's  Spirit  in  prayer  will  save  us  from  praying 
sinfully." 

In  her  Diary,  on  July  14,  she  writes:  "Read 
Canticles.  Oh  !  to  come  into  the  chambers — the 
secret  presence — of  my  Beloved  !  to  have  sweet  fore- 
tastes now  of  the  heavenly  communion  to  be  enjoyed 
with  Him  in  glory  !  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  25)."  And,  another 
day,  she  records  a  visit  from  a  friend  who  prayed 
"  that,  having  been  separated  from  others  for  so  long, 
it  might  be  evident  to  them  now  that  she  had  been 
■with  Jesus." 

Like  Andrew  going  forth  that  morning  in  search 
of  Simon,  to  speak  of  Him  with  whom  he  had  passed 
the  night,  dear  Adelaide  now  with  a  new  devoted- 
ness  everywhere  commended  Christ.  "  Oh  !  what  a 
God  we  have  to  do  with  !"  she  writes,  on  July  15 : 
"  what  tenderness,  sympathy,  and  wise,  unerring  love, 
guide  His  hand  in  all  His  dealings  with  us  !  If 
any  one  ever  had  reason  to  boast  of  the  loving-ldnd- 
ness  of  the  Lord,  it  surely  must  be  myself.  Time 
would  fail  me  to  tell  of  the  great  tenderness  He 
has  shown  towards  me  :  but  you  may  take  encour- 
agement, from  what  He  has  done  for  me,  that  you, 


72  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

too,  will  find  Him  the  same  God.  He  changes 
not !" 

Her  state  of  health  since  her  return  home,  she 
notes  in  the  same  letter,  thus :  "  I  am  come  home 
much  better,  but  weak  and  good  for  nothing,  and 
quite  obliged  to  be  idle.  I  believe  I  look  very  well, 
and  at  times  I  feel  very  well ;  but  there  are  hours  of 
weariness  which  none  know  but  those  who  know 
what  real  illness  is.  How  precious  to  feel  that  each 
is  measured  out  by  our  loving  Father,  and  is  really 
working  out  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory !  I  have  thought  of  you  very  often 
in  your  peculiarly  trying  circumstances.  To  see  the 
liand  of  God  in  each,  renders  them  almost  welcome ; 
for  it  is  a  peculiar  honour  and  privilege  to  suffer 
with  Christ,  and  will  assuredly  end  in  'reigning  with 
Him.'" 

She  was  no  cynic,  but  rejoiced,  like  the  Master, 
to  make  all  around  her  hapj)y.  Delicately  temper- 
ing congratulations  with  a  seasonable  admoniti<in,  she 

writes  to  a  schoolfellow  thus :  "  Well,  dear  F , 

as  you  have  often  sympathized  with  my  suflferings, 
you   must  now  let  me  sympathize  with  your  joys. 

Provided be  (as  I  cannot  but  suppose,  from 

your  choice,  he  is)  a  fellow-member  of  the  one  Body 
likewise  with  us,  and  one  who  will  seek  to  strengthen 
your  hands  in  the  Lord,  I  offer  you  my  heartfelt 
congratulations.  I  am  far  from  looldng  on  marriage 
and  love  as  trifling  or  unsacrcd  subjects ;  they  are 
designed  of  God  amongst  men,  as  I  feel  convinced, 
to  set  forth  the  love  and  marriage-union  of  Christ  to 


LITTLE     CON  FES  SIGN  .«;.  73 

His  Bride,  the  Church,  and  are,  or  may  be,  sweet 
and  holy  earthly  ties.  But  it  has  strongly  been  on 
my  mind  lately,  that  they  are  ties  only  for  time.  In 
heaven,  they  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  mar- 
riage, but  are  as  the  angels.  And  now,  they  that 
have  wives,  are  bid  to  be  as  though  they  had  none, 
because  the  world  passeth  away !  It  must  be  re- 
membered constantly  that  the  sweet  enjoyments  of 
such  mutual  affections  must  be  held  in  subordination 
to  the  lasting,  ceaseless,  pure,  and  unrestrained  affec- 
tion which,  through  time  and  eternity,  must  exist 
between  the  soul  and  Jesus  !  All  that  comes  in  sub- 
ordination to  THIS,  dearest  F-  ,1  wish  you;  and 
this  itself,  the  strongest,  purest,  and  most  intense  en- 
joyment in  personal  interchange  of  love  with  Jesus, 
I  wish  you  also  !" 

"  T  am  ver}'  decidedly  stronger  as  to  general 
health,"  she  adds,  "  and  get  on  very  well  as  long  a* 
I  don't  attempt  to  get  into  the  carriage  or  go  beyond 
the  garden.  But  my  chest  is  often  painful;  and, 
though  slowly,  I  believe  disease  still  makes  some 
progress  there.  It  is  only  doing  the  divinely-ap- 
pointed work,  and  in  God's  own  time  and  way 
too." 

Some  Christians  take  a  morbid  pleasure  in  "  mak- 
ing little  confessions"  of  their  unprofitableness;  and 
they  mope  over  their  vileness,  until  they  grow  proud 
of  their  very  humility.  For  this  "sore  evil"  Ade- 
laide understood  the  Divine  remedy.  "  I  have  had 
such  a  dear  girl  with  me  to-day,"  she  writes,  "  the 
niece  of  those  two  sisters  who  were  with  us  at  Tor- 


74  M  E  M  O  I  11     O  F     A  .     L .     N  K  W  T  O  X . 

quay,  and  wlio  are  both  gone  lio;ne.  She  used  to 
say  to  me  there — '  Oh !  if  I  only  knew  that  I  was 
God's  child,  how  happy  I  should  be  !'  and  I  used  to 
tell  her  that  the  less  she  thought  of  herself  in  that 
■way  the  better — for  if  she  tried  to  think  of  God  as 
licr  Father,  she  would  soon  tiiid  out  that  indeed  she 
was  His  child.  She  has  grown  in  giace  wonderfully, 
and  kept  telling  me  over  and  over  again  to-day  what 
a  HAPPY  thing  religion  is !  She  tells  Jesus  every- 
thing— all  her  wishes,  all  her  feelings,  right  and 
wrong,  and  all  her  little  hourly  troubles.  No  matter 
who  is  by,  she  tells  Him  everything,  because  nobody 
can  hear  her;  and  when  she  is  alone,  she  reads  her 
Bible,  and  i)rays  over  it  and  feasts  on  it.  Yet  not 
one  of  her  family  now  is  like-minded.  Her  two 
aunts,  who  loved  Christ,  are  gone  to  be  with  Him. 
It  has  done  me  good  to  see  her,  her  faith  is  so  very 

r^simple.  Just  what  she  finds  in  the  Bible  she  believes ; 
and  she  says  that  sometimes,  when  she  feels  too  wicked 
to  dare  to  pray,  alie  says  to  herself,  '  Oh,  but  /  am 
nothing.  /'??i  not  seen ;  Ws  onhj  Jesus  that  is  seen; 
and  /  don't  pray,  but  the  Holy  Spirit  makes  inter- 

^cession  within  me.'  I  can't  help  just  telling  you 
about  her,  becauss  you  will  see  liow  others  feel  with 
regard  to  those  j»recious  truths  I  have  tiied  to  tell 
you  of.  Tliey  were  an  unspeakable  comfort  to  a  lady 
in  York,"  slie  adds,  "  to  wSom  I  wrote  frequently 
till  she  died  this  summer,  only  telling  her  of  Jesus. 
That  prayer  in  Psalm  xxxv.  3,  'Say  unto  my  soul,  I 
am  thy  salvation,'  struck  her  very  mueli,  I  told  her 
I  thought  it  said  so  veky  much  iti  so  few  words — 


MOUNTING     TO     THE     SKY.  "75 

God  doing  cverytliing  hv  us  from  first  to  last,  so 
that  our  salvation  is  wholly  in  Him." 

And  again  she  -writes :  "  One  thing  which  has 
particularly  struck  me  lately  is  the  frceness  of  God's 
gift  of  Christ,  especially  in  those  words  in  the  fifth 
of  Romans — '  the  grace  of  God,'  and  '  the  gift  by 
grace' — given  without  one  single  thing  in  us  to  ren- 
der us  deserving  of  it.  "  Oh  !  are  we  not  obliged 
sometimes  to  gij'e  vent  to  our  grateful  astonishment 
in  those  words,  'Thanks  be  unto  God  for  His  un- 
speakable gift  ?'  I  think  it  is  the  freeness  of  it) 
which  makes  it  such  a  stumbling-block  to  manyJ 
"We  can't  give  God  credit  for  being  as  good  as  Hen 
is." 

In  one  of  his  touching  little  sonnets,  Herbert  utters 
a  longing  of  his  heart  thus  : 

"  I  go  to  church;  help  me  to  wings,  that  I 
Will  thitliCT  fly : 
Or,  if  I  mount  unto  tho  sky, 
I  will  do  more." 

Again,  this  summer,  dear  Adelaide  was  sluit  out 
from  "  church  ;"  but  her  soul,  nevertheless,  was  ever 
"mounting  to  the  sky."  On  August  1  (184'7),  we 
find  her,  whilst  alone  in  hor  chamber,  throwing  her 
thoughts  into  the  following  simple  lines,  founded  on 
Song  ii.  3,  and  on  Ps.  Ixxxix.  15  : 

"  While  from  Thine  earthly  courts  ascend 
Loud  ITallelujahs  to  Thy  praise, 
Lord,  to  the  '  still  small  voice'  attend, 
Thy  feeble  ones  in  secret  raise. 


76  M  K  M  O  I  II     0  V     A  .     I. .     N  K  W  TON. 

"  "While  others  f.oste  the  bread  and  wuie, 

The  outward  signs  which  Thou  hast  given. 
Oh!  feast  our  souls  with  love  divine — 

That  '  livin,;^  bread'  sent  down  from  heaven. 

"  While  they  are  walking  in  the  light, 

Which  flows  from  Tiiee,  its  living  Source, 
May  we  sit  down,  '  with  great  delight ;' 
To  the  same  Fountain  have  recourse  1 

"  Beneath  the  '  shadow'  of  tlie  Rock, 
Defended  from  the  burning  sun, 
Refresh  Tiiy  weary,  feeble  flock : 
Thence  streams  of  living  water  run. 

"  May  those  who  tarry  still  at  home 

'  Divide  the  spoil'  with  those  who  go : 
Spirit  of  truth  and  comfort  come. 
Make  every  heart  with  joy  o'erflowl 

"  Oh  I  May  Thy  Church  bulow  now  '  taste' 
The  sweetness  of  redeeming  love ; 
And  to  the  Ciiurch  triumphant  haste, 
To  share  Thy  fulness,  Lord,  above!" 

As  the  autumn  approached,  shi^  began  to  contem- 
plate another  removal  to  Torquay.  "I  honestly  con- 
fess," she  writes,  on  August  21,  "I  ani  not  yet 
reconciled  to  the  idea  of  leaving  home  so  soon  again. 
As  vou  most  truly  said,  if  our  wills  were  conformed 
to  the  will  of  God,  we  should  no  longer  know  what 
trials  mean.  I  was  greatly  struck  wilh  an  observa- 
tion of  Lady  Powerscourt  yesterday,  that  ■where  God 
sends  a  trial,  Ue  sends  it  where  He  knows  it  will  be 
felt." 


M  A  URI  E  D     T  0     0  HRIST.  77 

Then  alluding  to  tlio  "  cloud  of  witnesses,"  in  Heb. 
xii.  1,  slie  ;ulds:  "Some  of  tlieni  liave  lutoly  been 
almost  more  present  to  me  than  the  earthly  wit- 
nesses. I  do  so  like  the  feeling  of  having  them  there ; 
it's  almost  like  a  resting-place  for  one's  thoughts, 
though  they  are  kept  waiting  for  us  to  be  perfected. 
But  they  have  bidden  adieu  to  this  changeful,  up- 
and-down  world,  and  are  with  the  Lord  ;  and  there 
is  certainly  something  that  gives  one  a  feeling  of 
calm  repose  in  that  thought,  which  cannot  be  got  at 
by  any  other  means.  And  yet  we  are  in  Him  as 
truly  as  they  are ;  and  when  f-iith  gets  uppermost, 
and  sinks  sight  and  seen  things  below  the  surface  for 
a  while,  one  can  catch  glimpses  of  their  joy.  Alas  ! 
that  they  should  be  so  few  and  hv  between  !  But 
we  shall  soon  be.  there  too.  How  quickly  time  is 
hastening  our  re-union,  is  it  not  1" 

And,  writing  to  another  friend,  on  September  9, 
she  says  :  "  Since  I  have  been  at  home,  I  have  been 
studying  in  Canticles  with  great  delight ;  and  I  hope  \ 

I  have  ffot  to  realize-  the  union  of  Christ  with  His  1 

.         .  .         .       .     ' 

people  in  a  way  I  never  did  before.     It  is  union  in 

the  covenant,  so  that  all  the  changers  in  one's  feel- 
ings, affections,  &g.,  &c.,  &c.,  alter  it  not.  AVe  are 
married  to  Christ ;  and  what  God  hath  joined  to- 
gether, can  in  no  wise  be  cut  asunder.  With  Him 
'  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning.' 
Precious  truth  !  He  loved  us  while  we  weie  sinners, 
and  He  loves  us  while  Ave  are  backsliding  (Hcs.  xi 
7,  8,  9) ;  for  His  is  unchangeable,  everlasting  love. 
(Jer  xxxi.  3.)     I  am  so  thankful  that,  amidst  terrible 


78  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

seasons  of  coldness  and  indifference,  and  Avant  of 
realizino;  anything  of  these  eternal  truths,  He  has 
mercifully  enabled  me  to  remember  that  He  changes 
not  towards  me !" 

A  fiiend  had  Avritten  to  her,  complaining  of  being 
content  to  seek  after  "  Jesus  in  a  lukewarm,  heart- 
less spirit."  Adelaide  replied  :  "  I  got  a  kind  rebuke 
from  a  dear  Christian  friend  the  other  day,  which 
points  out  the  true  remedy,  I  am  sure  for  the  evil 
which  you  lament,  and,  in  short,  for  every  evil, 
every  sin,  which  separates  betwixt  us  and  God.  She 
says,  '  I  find  a  great  help,  when  tempted  to  be  low 
in  mind,  to  shut  out  as  much  as  possible  thinking  of 
self,  in  any  way,  or  even  of  death,  but  to  meditate  on 
Jesus,  to  remember  His  presence  with  me,  when  I 
think,  or  speak,  lie  or  sit.  Oh  !  it  is  sweet  thus  to 
enter  into  Jesus — to  delight  in  Him — to  think  of  His 
perfections — His  love.  His  humility.  His  patience. 
If  we  ask  God's  Spirit  to  give  us  these  sweet,  lively, 
realizing  views  of  Jesus,  will  He  deny  us  ?  Is  it  not 
His  especial  office  to  'take  of  the  things  of  Christ, 
and  show  them  unto  us'  ?  I  shall  long  to  hear  that 
you  have  again  found  sweet  '  access  with  confidence' 
into  the  holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus.  So  inex- 
pressibly precious  is  that  blood  to  God  the  Father, 
that  the  soul  on  which  it  is  sprinkled  becomes  un- 
speakably precious  to  Him  also.  And  the  very 
mention  of  it  in  prayer  is  a  plea  from  which  He  can 
never  tui'n  away !'' 

Her  health  contiiiui-d  in  the  same  infirm  state.  "I 
am  only  :ible,"she  writes,  September  9,  "to  go  down- 


DIARY.  79 

stairs  for  prayers  and  breakfast ;  and  the  rest  of  the 
day,  except  when  I  am  out,  I  hardly  ever  move  off 
the  sofa.  Still,  through  God's  mercy,  I  am  able  to 
write,  read,  and  work ;  and  I  trust  He  is  making  use 
of  me  in  some  humble  ways,  though  not  just  the  ways 
I  should  choose." 

In  her  diary,  on  August  31  (1847),  we  find  this 
entry :  "  Mrs.  Fjtchett  came  to  see  me  :  she  told  me 
Betty  Fox  had  charged  her  with  the  message  that, 
if  we  never  met  again  in  this  world,  she  believed  we 
should  in  another ;  that  she  owed  more  to  me  than 
she  could  ever  say,  and  to  my  going  round  the 
district,  where  it  seems  as  if  God  had  condescended 
to  make  some  use  of  mo  ;  for  Mrs.  Fitchett  told  me 
she  could  say  the  same  thing,  and  she  w:is  sure  many 
others  could,  too.  May  the  Lord  keep  me  from 
vain-glory,  or  fi'om  taking  more  comfort  from  hearing 
such  things  than  He  intends !  Ps.  cxv.  1  ought  to 
be  my  heartfelt  language  ;  for  how  much  more  might 
I  not  have  done,  had  I  only  had  a  single  eye! 
Double  motives  must  have  robbed  me  of  much  of 
my  reward." 

Will  not  the  measure  of  future  glory  depend  upon 
the  measure  of  present  ser\ice  ?  A  place  in  the 
kingdom  depends  upon  the  "  finished"  work  of 
Christ ;  but  does  not  the  place  depend  upon  the 
individual  attainments  in  sufiering  and  in  service  ? 
"I  have  been  wondering  so  much  this  morning," 
says  she,  "  why,  and  for  what  ends,  God  is  dealing 
thus  with  me,  and  what  my  life  is  now  preparing  for 
me  in  eteTi<ity.      I   have  thought  so  much   about 


80  M  E  M  O  I  K     OF     A  .     I. .     N  E  W  TON. 

'  sowing  seed'  lately  (Ps.  cxxvi.  '),  G),  that  my 
re.'ison  seems  to  say,  'I  wish  to  live;'  and  yet  my 
heart  rebels  as  much  as  ever.     I  hope  God  will  bless 

'The  Shallow  of  Death.'     S told  me  'she  felt 

as  if  it  were  to  be  the  means  of  delivering  her  from 
the  bondage  she  had  lieen  in  all  her  life.'  Don't  be 
distressed  if  you  find  you  cannot  speak  to  tlie  people 
as  you  wish.  Remember,  it  is  not  you  that  speak, 
but  God  that  speaks  through  you.  My  constant 
comfort  just  now  is,  that  God's  Spirit  may  breathe 
through  us." 

On  September  21,  she  again  reached  Torquay,  her 
"  general  health  so  nmch  better"  since  she  had  left 
it  in  May,  that  her  jihysician,  on  examining  her 
sliortly  after  her  arrival,  "  could  only  thank  God  for 
His  blessing." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"Martyrdoms,"  says  Lord  Bacon,  in  one  of  Lio 
Essays,  "  I  reckon  amongst  miracles,  because  they 
exceed  the  strength  of  human  nature." 

Of  martyrdoms  there  are  two  kinds.  "Perhaps," 
writes  Cecil,  "  it  is  a  greater  energy  of  Divine  power 
which  keeps  the  Christian  from  day  to  day,  from  | 
year  to  year,  praying,  hoping,  running,  beHeving, 
against  all  liindrances — which  maintains  him  a  liv- 
ing martyr,  than  that  which  bears  liim  np  for  an 
hour  in  sacrificing  himself  at  the  stake."  Bacon,  in 
his  Essay  above  quoted,  has  the  same  thought ;  for, 
after  "  reckoning  martyrdoms  amongst  miracles,  be- 
cause they  exceed  the  strength  of  human  nature,"  he 
adds  :  "  I  may  do  the  like  of  superlative  and  admi- 
rable holiness  of  life." 

It  is  this  kind  of  martyrdom  which  is  before  ns  in 
the  subject  of  our  Memoir.  And  each  successive 
season  seems  to  encircle  it  with  a  brighter  halo  of 
Divine  glory. 

Writing  to  one  of  her  sisters  from  her  "  new  tent 
in  the  wilderness,"  she  says  :  "  The  first  note  I  write 
is  to  you,  on  a  day  which,  I  trust,  is  to  both  of  us 
but  a  foretaste  and  pledge  of  that  eternal  Sabbath 
which  '  remaineth'  for  us.     Oh  !  what  a  jirospect  for 


82  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

souls  which  find  no  rest  for  the  soles  of  their  feet  on 
the  ocean  of  life  !  Tossed  to  and  fro,  sometimes  in 
their  temporal  circumstances,  sometimes  from  one 
home  to  another,  sometimes  in  their  souls — beat 
about  and  buffeted  by  the  god  of  this  world,  and 
tormented  by  the  evil  workings  of  their  corrupt 
natures,  till  really  they  do  literally  feel  like  the  dove, 
out  of  the  ark,  hovering  over  a  boundless  expanse  of 
ocean  !  I  never  felt  so  moie  than  lately.  I  have 
been  tried  both  outwardly  an  1  inwardly,  and  can 
most  heartily  sympathise  with  you  in  those  words 
you  used,  '  Not  doubting,  but  hoping  against  hope.' 

I  feel  satisfied  that  this  very  experience,  dearest , 

is  the  strongest  proof  that  we  are  in  Christ.  We  are 
like  vessels  tossing  about  upon  the  watet,  yet  firmly 
and  secui-ely  fixed  to  the  anchor.  As  long  as  the 
confident  hope  and  expectation  of  the  soul  is  from 
Christ  (however  little  comfort  or  enjoyment  there 
maybe  in  looking  to  Him),  the  soul  is  exercising 
jtrue  and  living  faith;  ami  perhaps  faith  is  never  so 
(Strong  as  when  it  clings  to  Him  in  the  dark — I  mean, 
;without  sensible  enjoyment." 

How  was  she  girded  for  this  "  living  martyrdom  ?" 
"  Her  enjoyment  of  prayer  was  frequently  expressed," 
writes  her  sister,  "when  we  were  together  in  Devon; 
and  she  would  often  get  u])on  the  subject  by 
questioning  me  as  to  my  own  stated  times  for 
prayer,  comfort  in  ejaculatory  prayer,  and  whether  I 
felt  able  to  continue  the  habit  she  knew  dear  Mr. 
Dallas  had  urged  me  to  seek — I  mean,  praying  when 
1  walked.     She  loved  herself  to  pray  at  night  near 


COMPORTED     OF     GOD.  83 

tbe  window,  gazing  up  to  the  stars ;  and,  in  every 
room  she  occupied,  she  had  one  particular  chair  or 
spot  thus  consecrated.  '  Do  not  I  fill  heaven  and 
earth  ?'  was  once  quoted  as  comforting  her  with  the 
delightful  consciousness  of  being  so  surrounded  with 
God,  that  her  very  prayerful  thoughts — I  mean 
prayerfulness  not  talcing  so  distinct  a  form  as  to  pass 
into  words — were  known,  and,  as  it  were,  heard  by 
Him.  And  thus,  when  occasionally  out  in  a  Bath- 
chair,  I  have  beard  her  express  her  felt  communion, 
and  her  delightftil  realization  of  Ilis  near  and  all- 
porvading  presence." 

Herself  "comforted  of  God,"  she  knew  how  to 
solace  fellow-pilgrims.  "It  seems  to  me  the  only 
(•omf^)rt,"  she  writes  to  a  bereaved  mother,  No- 
vember 22  (1847),  "in  looking  at  such  of  God's 
dealings  with  us  as  are  otherwise  perfectly  inex- 
plicable, that  He  is  doing  what  He  wills  with  His 
own;  and,  since  'He  does  all  things  well' — since 
'  His  work  is  perfect' — since  all  He  does  He 
makes  '  to  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
Him,'  it  seems  to  leave  us  without  ground  of  com- 
plaint, whilst  God  is  trying  our  faith,  to  see  whethci- 
we  can  trust  Him  so  to  order  each  event  of  our  lives 
now  as  best  to -promote  our  eternal  happiness  and 
His  own  glory.  It  is  a  great  exercise  of  faith  ;  and 
yet  how  can  we  doubt  it  ?  I  never  felt  the  comfort 
of  that  twentieth  chapter  of  Matthew  so  much  before 
;;s  T  do  now  :  to  think  that  your  deai,  dear  baby,  who 
had  literally  'continued  one  hour  only,'  should  be 
made  equal  to  those  who  had  '  borne  the  burden  and 


84  MEMOIR     or     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

heat  of  tlie  day,'  is  a  very  precious  thought  to  me, 
and  seems  to  magnify  the  sovereignty  of  God's  grace. 
I  can  only  pray  that  God  may  enable  you  to  trace 
His  '  bright  designs,'  '  treasured  up,'  as  Cowper  so 
beautifully  says,  'in  deep  unfathomable  mines  of 
never-failing  grace.'  May  the  God  of  love  and 
peace  and  of  all  comfort  be  witb  you  !" 

On  another  occasion,  after  "  a  most  dreary  and 
desolate  day,"  she  writes:  "This  kind  of  life  makes 
(me  feel  as  if,  perhaps,  it  were  God's  way  of  answer- 
'  ing  my  prayer  to  be  conformed  to  Christ's  image. 
He  was  perfect  through  sufferings — sufferings  of  all 
kinds ;  and  so,  I  suppose,  must  His  followers  be. 
.  A  thought,"  she  adds,  on  (Jen.  xxix.  20,  "  has  made 
me  feel  quite  ashamed  of  being- in  such  a  hurry  to 
die ;  if  years  of  service  seemed  so  little  to  Jacob  for 
the  love  he  had  to  Eachel,  what  ought  they  seem  to 
us  for  Chirst  ?" 

For  six  weeks  that  her  sister  was  obliged  to  be 
absent  fi'ora  Torquay,  Adelaide  was  one  of  a  small 
circle  in  a  boarding-house.  Alluding  to  her  "  utter 
inability  to  speak  to  these  people,"  she  adds :  "  But 
I  pray  that  God  may  use  me  to  say  what  He  wants 
saying  to  them.  My  mind  was  very  much  struck  in 
reading  Ps.  cxxiii.  1,  2,  some  days  ago,  with  the  idea 
of  looking  up  to  God  every  morning  for  direction 
what  to  do,  just  as  a  servant  to  a  master  or  mistress. 
This  seems  to  me  the  secret  of  real  happiness — to  be 
what  God  makes  us  to  all  around  us." 

Three  years  afterwards,  a  lady  who  had  been  of 
that  circle  died.     On  her  deathbc  1  she  informed  the 


ONLTOXKLIFE.  86 

niiuister  who  \'isited  ber,  that  lo  Adehiide  Newton 
she  owed,  iiistrumentally,  her  conversion.  And  four 
other  inmates  of  that  house  looked  upon  those 
precious  weeks  as  a  season  to  them  of  new  life. 

It  was  thus  that  she  sowed  beside  all  waters  the 
seed  of  the  kingdom.  And  the  sowing  quickened 
her  own  beavenliness  "  In  Phil.  i.  22,  23,"  she  writes 
at  this  period,  "  Paul  evidently  considered  that  '  the 
fruit  of  his  labour'  made  it  worth  while  to  abide  in 
the  liesli,  bowever  be  might  long  to  depart.  I 
believe  this  is  the  lesson  I  have  been  learning  most 
of  late." 

Only  one  life !  one  sowing-time !  one  season  of 
laying  up  treasure  in  heaven  !  Realizing  that  thought 
with  a  new  \'ividness,  she  writes :  "  I  don't  feel  as 
rebellious  about  life  as  I  did.  I  have  been  thinking 
about  it  as  the  sowing-time  lor  eternity.  Oh  !  that 
we  were  only  sowing  continually  to  the  Spirit ! 
What  a  rich  harvest  we  might  expect  to  reap  here- 
after! and  what  a  full  compensation  for  all  our  tears 
by  the  way !" 

Her  illness  was  again  manifesting  bad  symptoms. 
"  You  will  be  sorry  to  hear,"  she  writes  on  January 
13  (1848),  "that  my  chest  is  much  worse."  And 
she  adds :  "  Such  are  our  poor  frail  tenements  of 
clay.  Is  it  not  very  humbling  to  look  upon  all 
kinds  of  disease  as  the  fruit  of  sin  and  of  the  curse 
of  God  ?" 

But   her   soul  mounted  up  on    wings  as  eagles'. 
"  Oh !  how  I  wish,"  she  says,  "  that  I  could  live  up 
to  my  privileges,  and  walk  worthy  of  my  high  call- 
8 


80  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

ing !  Pray  for  me,  that,  as  I  draw  near  the  close 
of  my  earthly  pilgrimage  (and  how  the  days  and 
hours,  weeks  and  years,  do  fly !),  I  may  more  and 
more  realize  my  true  position  as  'accepted  in  the 
Beloved;  " 

And  one  feature  of  her  growing  heavenliness  is 
singled  out  thus :  "  Is  there  not  a  selfish  feeling  in 
desiring  one's  own  happiness  after  death,  rather  than 
desiring  the  perfected  hliss  of  the  whole  body  at  the 
gloiious  appearing  of  Christ?  Nowhere  in  Scripture 
is  death  set  forth  as  an  object  of  hope,  liut  always 
Christ's  Second  Coming.  I  believe  you  will  find 
meditation  on  the  Second  Coming  to  be  of  all  truths 
the  most  quickening.  I  don't  know  how  you  feel ; 
but  of  late  I  have  been  horrified  to  find  a  secret 
backwardness  to  cry  with  my  whole  heait, 'Come 
quickly !'  and  this,  too,  whilst  1  have  thought  of 
death  as  the  greatest  '  gain.'  " 

In  her  diary,  on  January  1  (1848),  we  have  the 
following :  "  Commenced  another  stage  of  my  jour- 
ney— another  year  of  my  pilgrimage  through  life, 
at  Torquay.  May  every  step  be  '  ordered  hy  the 
Lord,'  and  in  His  Word — '  leaning  on  my  Beloved  !' 
'  My  times  are  in  Thy  hand,'  O  Lord.  Living  or 
dying,  may  I  be  Thine  and  have  no  will  but  to  do 
Thy  will!  Whilst  I  live  may  I  sow  seed  for  eternity 
every  moment,  which  shall  yield  an  abundant  har- 
vest to  'the  Lord  of  the  harvest!'  And  in  close 
union  and  communion  with  Jesiis — in  the  power  of 
resurrection-life,  may  I  be  dead  to  sin,  and  '  be 
clothed    with    humility^    whilst     soaring     to     the 


THOUGHTS     ON     GOD.  87 

heisjlit  of  that  glory  which  He  gives  to  Tlis  mem- 
bers !" 

The  "  huraihty"  which  arises  from  "  soaring  to 
the  height  of  the  glory"  is  not  a  counterfeit  but  a 
real  humility.  It  is  in  the  joyful  fellowship  of  a 
reconciled  Father,  not  in  a  "  fearful"  doubting  of  His 
love,  that  the  heart  is  truly  humbled. 

"  Well  said  the  wisdom  of  earth — '  0  mortal !  know  thj-self ;' 
But  better  the  wisdom  of  heaven — '  0  man  1  learn  thou 

thy  God. 
Leam  God;  thou  shalt  know  thyself." 

"Don't  you  think,"  Adelaide  writes,  "that  it  is 
exactly  in  proportion  as  we  walk  in  the  light  that 
we  become  aware  of  surrounding  darkness.  I  have 
fancied  that  this  was  implied  in  1  John  i.  1 ;  where, 
after  speaking  of  our  walking  in  the  light  it  is  im- 
mediately added,  'And  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His 
Son  clean seth  us  from  all  sin' — as  if  we  could  not 
bear  the  sight  of  what  the  light  would  expose  to  our 
view,  witlK)Ut  that  to  fall  back  upon." 

Cecil  wiitcs:  "The  man  who  is  yet  carnal,  if 
taken  into  a  closet  and  forced  to  meditate  on  God 
and  eternity,  will  find  it  insupportable.  But  the 
6})iiitual  man  is  born,  as  it  were,  into  a  new  world  ; 
he  has  a  new  taste ;  he  savours  the  thing  of  the 
S[)irit ;  he  turns  to  God,  as  the  needle  to  the  pole." 
With  dear  Adelaide  it  was  natural  to  speak  of 
Christ,  not  forced  and  artificial.  For  example,  in  a 
very  familiar  note  to  one  of  her  sisters,  we  find  her 
pouring  out  her  heart  thus :    "  Except  on  the  one 


88  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     N  K  W  T  O  N  . 

subject,  which  never  grows  old,  it's  of  no  use 
writing  anything,  in  a  note  which  may  not  reach 
you  for  many  days ;  hut  on  that  I  must  scribble  a 
few  words.  What  a  theme  !  A  Saviour's  unchang- 
ing love  !  I  have  been  thinking  veiy'  much  of  the 
Levitical  ofl'erings  lately,  and  especially  of  this — 
that  the  ground  of  comfort  and  true  satisfaction  to 
the  conscience  was  to  see  the  blood  on  the  merc}-- 
seat,  i.e.,  to  see  the  evidence  that  God  was  satisfied 
with  the  atonement  made.  That  is  the  point.  It 
seems  to  me  so  comforting  to  feel,  that,  if  we  have 
equal  evidence  that  Jesus,  our  atonement,  is  accepted 
for  us,  that's  enough  ;  we  need  have  no  doubt  as  to 
our  own  acceptance.  I  have  not  been  able  at  all 
lately  to  think  realizingly  of  God ;  and  it  has 
troubled  me  a  good  deal ;  but,  through  His  mercy, 
I  have  not  one  doubt  of  His  willingness  to  accept 
me,  even  in  spite  of  my  wretched  guiltiness  and 
unbelief." 

"  I  hope  you  jiray  for  me,"  she  adds.  "  I  don't 
mind  owning  to  you,  if  you  will  keep  it  strictly  private, 
that  I  have  not  been  outwardly  so  comfortable  since 
I  came  here.  I  have  a  thousand  little  daily  annoy- 
ances, and  no  one  to  tell  them  to.  But  I  know,  if 
God  saw  them  not  necessary.  He  would  remove  them  ; 
so  they  must  be  right.  How  sweet  to  know  (Jod 
reigns  and  orders  all  our  daily  lot  I  May  He  abun- 
dantly bless  all  your  labours  in  His  service  !  Sowing 
in  tears  now,  you  shall  reap  a  joyful  hai'vest  hereafter, 
and   perhaps   be  rewarded,  fur  a  long  and  toilsomo 


A     C  O  M  F  O  n  T  I  N  O     T  H  O  U  O  II  T ,  89 

caiT)Hng  of  the  seed-basket,  with  uiauy  slieaves.  God 
grant  it  to  you  and  to  me  !" 

The  seed-basket  she  was  evef  carrying.  "  The  text 
I  shall  send  you,"  slie  writes,  "is — 'He  satisfieth 
the  longing-  soul,  and  fiUeth  the  hungry  soul  with 
goodness.'  It  is  so  sweet  to  think,  that,  as  Jesus 
is  satisfied  in  seeing  of  the  travail  of  His  soul  in  us, 
so  we  shall  be  satisfied  in  Ilim.  All  fulness  dwells 
in  Hini' — enough  to  fill  us  with  goodness.  Don't 
you  find,  more  and  more,  that  the  things  which  oc- 
cupy the  minds  and  hearts  of  others  lose  their 
interest  with  you  ?  There  is  a  craving  of  the  im- 
mortal soul  for  higher  objects  ;  nor  can  it  be  satisfied 
with  anything  short  of  G()d  for  its  portion.  How 
He  comes  to  be  more  and  more  the  Alpha  and  Omega 
— the  All  and  in  all !  xVnd  how  communion  with 
Him,  when  we  can  realize  and  enjoy  it,  seems  to  bring 
us  into  the  very  holiest — tlie  presence-chamber  of 
Jesus  !" 

And  again,  to  another:  "We  are  hastino-  to  'that 
day.'  Oh  !  what  a  very  comforting  thought !  Cer- 
tainly I  do  more  and  more  realize  its  nearness.  I 
often  feel  now  quite  a  wish  to  see  it,  and  to  work 
whilst  there  is  room  for  bringing  in  the  many  sons 
whom  Ilr  dicil  to  bring  to  glory.  I  can  pray  for 
them  when  I  cannot  go  and  talk  to  them;  and  I  c;!n 
ask  God  to  make  you  and  others  talk  eflTeotuaily ; 
and  so  I  think  I  may  be  a  sharer  of  yom'  joy  in  the 
day  of  Christ.  I  so  earnestly  covet  the  honour  of 
tui'uing  many  to  righteousnes-;,  in  order  to  shine 
like  a  star.     It  is  not,  Jiowever,  for  selfish  amliition 


90  MEMOIR     OF     A..     L.     XEWTON". 

that  I  seek  liigher  glory,  but  to  reflect  more  of 
Christ's  glory,  which  glorifies  Him." 

And,  in  another  letter :  "  I  have  been  looking  out 
lately  all  the  texts  which  connect  the  sufterings  of 
Christ  and  His  glory.  I  thought  Ileb.  ii.  9,  10;  1 
Pet.  i.  11;  Heb.  xii.  2 ;  and  Rev.  v.  6 — 14,  pecu- 
liarly beautiful.  The  Lamb,  as  it  had  been  slain,  in 
the  midst  of  the  throne !  And  no  less  than  seven 
times  in  Rev.  xxi.  and  xxii.  1 — 5,  is  'the  Lamb' 
mentioned  in  the  description  of  the  heavenly  city — 
as  if  we  should  remember  it  as  much  then  as  now, 
and  should  still  '  glory  in  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ,' 
even  in  heaven !" 

"Love,"  it  has  been  said,  "is  the  king  of  words, 
carved  on  Jehovah's  heart."  The  same  word  is  carved 
by  the  Lord  on  the  lieart  of  each  of  His  children. 
"  I  have  been  greatly  sti-uck,"  writes  dear  Adelaide, 
"with  the  pre-eminenence  which  is  aUvnys  given 
to  love  among  the  Christian  graces.  'Above  all 
things,  put  on  charity.'  And,  in  1  Cor.  xii.  31,  it 
seems  as  if  charity,  in  the  next  chapter,  were  the 
fruit  of  the  Spint  in  which,  above  all  others,  God 
is  glorified.  And  the  first  epistle  of  John  also 
leads  to  the  same  conclusion  in  my  mind  :  for  there 
it  seems  to  be  the  very  essence  of  God's  nature,  and 
to  reflect  most  of  it  in.  us.  Love  and  light,  hatred 
and  darkness,  stand  in  such  strong  contrast ;  and, 
evidently,  where  they  are  spoken  of  in  reference 
to  fellow-creatures,  it  is  only  to  show  how  much  it 
must  be  so  betwixt  us  and  God.  The  communion 
and  fellowship  in  that  epistle  are  so  sweet  to  think 


BEING     SAFE     IN     THE     AUK.  91 

of  because  it  is  tliroiigh  this  fc'llowship  that  the 
likeness  to  Him  is  realized.  The  mcire  we  see  of 
Him  now  in  communion  by  faith,  the  more  we  re- 
flect His  image  ;  just  as,  when  we  see  Him  face  to 
face,  we  shall  be  like  Him  perfectly  then — now,  only 
in  part." 

And  writing,  Jan.  29  (1848),  to  a  schoolfellow,  on 
her  marriage,  she  says:  "May  you  but  be  united 
in  the  bonds  of  Christian  love,  and  I  have  no  fear  of 
excess  or  of  danger  of  diminution.  For,  in  its  very 
nature,  it  is  everlasting;  and,  as  one  of  the  fruits  of 
the   Spirit,   it    will   grow    and  increase  continually. 

Poor  M ,  on  her  becoming  Mrs. ,  once  wroto 

to  me  so  very  strongly  about  the  blessing  of  having 
at  least  one  earthly  triend  to  whom  she  could  con- 
fide everything;  and  when  I  reminded  her  of  the  pos- 
sibility of  losing  that  one  earthly  friend,  and  the 
blank  which  would  then  be  felt — poor  girl !  she  could 
not  bear  it.  How  dift'erent  it  is  to  have  our  Maker 
for  our  Husband  !  But  I  trust  you  have.  Then,  if 
you  marry  '  in  the  Lord,'  you  do  well." 

The  tiials  of  each  new  day  quickened  lier  steps 
heavenward.  After  mentioning  that  a  friend  had  been 
"  praying  with  her  most  beautifully  about  our  bearing 
the  image  of  the  heavenly  as  we  had  borne  that  of 
the  earthly,"  she  says :  "  Oh  !  if  wo  could  but  real- 
ize what  that  will  really  be  I  and  to  think  tliat  it  is 
nigh,  even  at  the  door !  C)h  !  tliat  all  knew  the 
preciousness  of  being  safe  'in  tlie  ark,'  ete  the  floods 
of  Divine  wrath  are  poured  cut  and  the  wi:idows  of 
heaven  are  opened  !     What  a  weighty  figure  that  is 


92  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L ,     NEWTON. 

of  tlie  Lord's  awakening,  as  if  from  a  dream,  lo  take 
vengeance  on  the  ungodly  !  (Ps.  Ixxii.)  And  how 
very  precious  the  contrast  is,  that  if  all  tliis  time 
He  is  sleeping,  as  it  were  towards  the  wicked,  '  His 
eyes  are  open  to  the  righteous' — He  '  never  slumbers 
nor  sleeps'  towards  us !  Oh  !  how  little  those  whoso 
eyes  the  Lord  has  not  yet  opened  know  of  these 
wondrous  and  life-giving  truths !  and  how  we  may 
praise  Him  for  so  teaching  us — adoring  His  free, 
sovereign  love !" 

Her  thoughts  were  occupied  at  this  time  with  a 
subject  which  often  afterwards  engaged  them.  "Have 
vou  ever  tliought  much,"  she  writes,  on  January  24, 
"about  self-examination?  Systematic  arrangement 
of  questions,  or  diligent  looking  into  one's  own 
heart,  is  what  Lean  see  no  Scripture-warrant  for — 
I  moan  examining  as  to  our  growth  in  grace.  2  Cor. 
xiii.  5  and  1  Cor.  xi.  28  are  the  only  two  direct 
passages  I  can  find  in  the  New  Testament ;  and  in 
both  it  is  an  examinaiioa  as  to  being  a  Christian  or 
not,  and  not  as  to  growth  in  grace.  There  are  many 
indirect  passages,  such  as  2  Cor.  vii.  11 ;  2  John,  8  ; 
Gal,  vi.  4  ;  Rev.  ii.  5  ;  and  Heb.  xii.  15,  which  imply 
a  kind  of  self-examination  ;  but  I  believe  these  refer 
rather  to  cases  of  backsliders  (so  in  Lam.  iii.  40) 
than  to  careful  search  as  to  how  far  one  is  growing 
in  grace.  Out  of  all  this  arises  the  query,  whether 
self-examination,  as  generally  enforced,  does  not  rather 
lead  to  a  looking  into  one's  self  which  is  not  enforced 
in  Scrijtture  ?" 

Another  obiect  than  her  own  dark  lieart  attracted 


THELAMBOFGOD.  93 

towards  it  her  steady  gaze.  "  'Behold  Me,'  "  we  find 
lier  writing,  "  '  Behold  I\Ie.'  Of  all  occupations,  none 
can  be  so  blessed,  so  transforming,  so  strengthening, 
so  enrajituring  as  that  of  beholdiiir/  Jesus.  O !  to  be 
ever  hearing  and  ever  yit-Ming  to  the  sweet  whispers 
of  His  Spirit,  speaking  through  the  Word,  and  say- 
ing, '  Behold  Me  !  Behold  Me  !'  Here,  indeed,  is  the 
object  of  faith — a  living,  personal,  ever-present  Me. 
This  is  not  truth  merely,  it  is  Christ — His  own  Self." 

"  God  the  Father,"  she  continues,  "  summons  us  to 
this  act  of  beholding  Jesus — '  Behold  my  Servant, 
whom  I  uphold ;  mine  Elect,  in  whom  my  soul 
delighteth.'  And  Jesus  calls  us  to  linger  over  the 
wondrous  scene  of  Gethsemane,  of  Calvaiy — '  Tariy 
ye  here  and  watch.'  Hear  even  Pilate  say  to  you, 
*  Behold  the  Man  !'  And  hear  the  voice  of  His  mes- 
senger, who,  'seeing  Jesus'  for  himself,  said  to  those 
around, 'Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  tateth 
away  the  sin  of  the  world.' " 

And  she  adds  :  "  Grow  not  weary  of  this  act ;  look 
to-day,  and  be  found  looking  to-morrow.  'Again, 
the  next  day  after  John  stood ;  and  looking  upon 
Jesus  as  He  walked,  he  saith,  '  Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God  !'  Does  not  this  tell  us  that  it  should  bo  a 
daily  act?  and  that,  while  we  look  upon  Jesus,  v.e 
should  say  to  others  (.is  if  re-echoing  His  own  em- 
phatic words), '  Behold  Him,  Behold  Him  V  Behold 
Him  when  you  are  in  trouble;  'so  shall  ye  be 
delivered.'  '  Mine  eyes  are  ever  toward  the  Lord  ; 
for  He  shall  pluck  my  feet  out  of  the  net.'  Behold 
Him    when  vou  are  beset  with  fear  :  '  Thev  looked 


94  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

imto  Him,  ;uk1  were  liglitoncd'  [111.,  llicir  comite- 
nances  were  made  bright).  On 'that  day,'  '  tliino 
eyes  shall  see  the  King  in  His  beauty :'  '  when  He 
shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  Him ;  for  we  shall  see 
Him  as  He  is.'  These  eyes  shall  see  Hiin  on  that 
day — the  God  that  died  for  me." 

With  tlie  returning  spring  her  feeble  frame  ga- 
thered new  strength.  "  I  am  altogether  now  very 
much  better,"  she  writes  on  March  9.  "  For  your 
sakes,  and  for  some  friends'  sakes,  and  for  my  own 
(perhaps),  I  could  wish  it.  May  my  wishes  only  be 
in  accordance  with  His  will  concerning  me  !  I  have 
gone  thruugh  a  great  deal  of  s])iritual  conilict ;  but, 
on  the  whole,  I  never  knew  so  well  what  it  was  to 
be  stayed  upon  the  Rock  of  ages.  I  should  like  to 
send  you  an  expression  I  was  exceedingly  struck  with 
lately  in  the  Prayer-book  version  of  the  7;iil  Psalm 
— 'It  is  good  for  me  to  hold  me  fast  by  (loJ.'  I  am 
certain  that  the  further  we  get  on,  the  more  we  are 
made  to  feel  that  He  must  be  everything  to  us. 
Have  you  ever  felt  the  comfort  of  the  words,  '  Thou 
art  my  hiding-place  ?'  I  can  give  you  no  idea  what 
thoy  have  been  to  me — to  hide  in  Jesus,  and  let 
God's  eye  rest  only  on  Him  !" 

And  again :  "  It  seems  so  long  since  I  heard  of 
vou ;  but  time  rolls  so  very,  very  rapidly  down  the 
stream,  that  much  intercourse  by  the  way  seems 
impracticable.  O  for  ceaseless  communion  in  heaven  1 
I  hope  you  are  getting  on.  I  have  had  such  very 
real  and  solemn  thoughts  at  night — the  sense  of 
every  thought  of  my  heart  being  as  truly  laid  bare 


THE     PRUNING- KNIFK.  96 

before  God  as  if  I  were  standing  before  Him  in  the 
judgment !  And  then  to  know  tliat  Jesus  is  in 
hea\en  to  answer  for  me,  and  tliat  only  this  veil  of 
tlesh  hides  Ilim  from  my  eyes  !  O  how  Wonderful 
it  isl"  And  a  few  days  later :  "  We  ought  indeed 
to  be  thankful — full  of  praise ;  for  He  is  crowning 
us  with  the  richest  of  all  blessings,  '  the  light  of  His 
countenance.'  May  we  be  led  to  praise  Him  more 
and  more,  and  to  go  on  our  way  rejoicing !  not 
always  expecting  happy  feelings  in  ourselves,  but 
always  remembering  that  Jesus  is  the  same,  yester- 
day, and  to-day,  and  for  ever." 

Other  lessons  she  was  learning,  as  she  sat  at  the 
Master's  feet.  "  It  struck  me,"  she  writes,  "  when  1 
read  your  note  about  coming  here,  and  giving  up 
youi'  Avork  at  home,  how  often  we  are  made  to  feel 
that  it  is  just  the  fruit-bearing  branches  which  He 
purges  and  prunes.  As  soon  as  the  fruit  appears, 
He  uses  His  pruning-knife — perhaps  to  cut  off  the 
opportunities  we  have  enjoyed,  and  wdien  we  are 
beginning  to  see  that  it  has  not  been  in  vain — ^lest 
we  should  begin  to  work  by  sense  and  sight,  and  not 
simply  by  faith.  I  have  thought  so  much  of  this 
lately — what  a  mystery  the  life  of  faith  is.  That 
passage,  Heb.  xii.  2,  'The  Author  and  Finisher  of 
faith' — not  of  '  our  faith,'  because  it  has  reference 
mainly  to  His  own  life  on  earth,  as  a  perfect  life  of 
faith  from  first  to  last,  and  applies  only  in  its  second- 
ary meaning  to  us — it  hiis  been  a  great  comfort  to 
me,  as  it  may  be  to  you." 

And,  on  March  30  ;  "  I  should  exceedingly  like 


96  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     X  E  W  T  O  N' . 

to  know  all  about  you  arul  dear  M ;  above  all 

liow  vou  are  getting  on  iu  the  Sion-wiird  way ;  for 
how  little,  comparatively,  everylhinpr  else  signifies! 
I  cannot  tell  you  how  oi'ten  I  thank  God  for  placing 
me  in  circumstances  where  I  may,  and  almost  must, 
spend  my  time  in  such  pursuits — leaining  to  know 
Hiui  better.  For  months  before  I  left  home  (two 
years  ago  nearly,  now),  this  had  been  my  constant 
prayer;  but  how  little  I  thought  how  God  would 
answer  it  !  But  unerring  wisdom  brought  it  to  pass 
in  the  way  in  which  He  knew  He  would  be  most 
glorified.  I  believe  it  is  one  of  our  most  diflicult 
lessons,  to  live  by  faitli  and  not  by  sight,  trusting  to 
His  ordering  of  things,  when  they  seem  so  against 
as,  still  to  be  the  best.  The  life  Jesus  led  upon  earth 
teaches  this  best  of  all,  I  believe,  if  we  only  under- 
stood it ;  but  how  little  we  know  of  such  separation 
from  the  world !  You  will  like  to  praise  Him  for 
and  with  me,"  she  adds,  "in  one  instance  that  has 
just  come  to  my  knowledge  of  a  young  lady,  to 
whom  a  lady  here  gave  one  of  my  'Though Is  for 
Sleepless  Hours,'  and  to  whom  it  was  made  the 
instrument  of  conversion.  She  has  since  entered  ou 
that  day  that  knows  no  night." 

A  fortnigliL  later,  writing  to  one  of  her  sisters,  of 
whom  she  "  had  seen  very,  very  little  lately,"  she 
says  :  "  I  suppose  it  is  to  make  us  both  remember 
tliat  we  are  not  to  be  seeking  our  enjoyment  here, 
but  only  to  try  to  live  for  Go<l,  and  to  use  whatever 
intercourse  He  allows  us  for  helping  each  other  on 
to  glory.     How  soon   we   shall    know   that  vothing 


A     r  R  I  V  I  L  K  G  K  i)     SPOT.  97 

else  matters  f  that  whatever  is  earthly  in  our  love, 
or  in  our  duties,  or  services,  or  our  friendships,  or  in 
anything  will  take  away  from,  instead  of  adding  to 

our  eternal  happiness !      O  !   N ,  what  earthly 

creatures  we  are !  I  actually  feel  as  if  I  regretted 
that  there  can  he  nothing  earthly  in  heaven.  May 
God  forgive  me,  and  give  me  holier  thoughts  and 
feelings  !  How  horrid  of  me  to  be  writing  all  this 
to  you — dwelHug  on  self  and  its  vileness,  when  we 
might  have  our  eyes  all  engrossed  with  the  loveliness 
of  Jesus  I  but  we  shall  only  think  of  that  in  heaven. 
All  the  tears  which  now  fill  our  eyes,  in  thinking  of 
these  things,  shall  then  be  for  ever  wiped  away.  So 
we  will  comfort  one  another  with  these  words." 

In  the  beginning  of  May  (1848),  she  once  more 
left  Torquay,  "  the  progress  of  her  disease  decidedly 
retju'ded,"  though  without  "  any  very  material  alte- 
ration in  her  state."  "  It  is  indeed,"  she  writes,  "  a 
sweet  and  privileged  spot,  and  endeared  to  me  be- 
yond any  other  o)i  earth.  God  seems  to  have  brought 
me  to  lie  down  here  in  such  green  pastures  as  I 
hardly  thought  could  be  known  on  earth ;  for  I  think 
bodily  suffering,  however  severe,  is  scarcely  to  be 
compared  to  mental  suffering — and  yet  I  ought  not 
to  shrink  from  either.  How  comforting  it  is  to  re- 
member that,  '  in  a  Httle  while,'  we  shall  see  Him !  I 
am  sure  I  ought  to  own,  to  God's  glory,  that  I  have 
not  felt  half  so  rebellious  about  things  I  don't  like, 
as  I  used  to  do.  Sometimes  I  can  wish  to  be  'ready 
to  do  whatsoever  my  Lord  the  King  shall  appoint'  (2 
Sam.  XV.  15);  and  yet  I  have  been  learning,  too, 
9 


98  MEMOIR     C  F     A .     L .     NEWTON, 

how  very  hard  it  is  to  '  kick  against  the  pricks,' 
when  it  pleases  God,  according  to  His  promise  in 
Hos.  ii.  6,  to  '  hedge  up  my  way  with  thorns.'     As 

for  dear ,  I  sometimes  think  her  letters  betray  a 

ripening  process  so  rapid  as  to  make  me  wonder  if 
she  is  to  be  early  called  to  her  eternal  home ;  but  it 
may  be  only  to  prepare  her  for  more  active  service 
here.  I  think  God  has  more  to  do  in  me  yet,  and 
may,  perhaps,  allow  me  more  sowing-time,  so  that  I 
may  reap  a  richer  harvest  hereafter.  How  sweet  it 
is  to  trust  Him  to  do  the  best,  whichever  it  is  !  I 
certainly  am  sti'onger,  and  only  want  a  more  thank- 
ful spirit.  Positively  it  seems  as  if  I  had  nothing 
but  Satan's  snares  and  sinful  self  to  mar  my  happi- 
ness. And  you  have  not  much  more  ;  only  the  world 
— but  what  an  '  only  !' " 

And,  Avriting  to  another  friend  before  leaving,  she 
says,  in  allusion  to  her  physician's  opinion,  that,  "by 
God's  blessing,  her  bodily  suflering  might  be  greatly 
alleviated  and  her  life  prolonged :" — "  I  feel  as  if  to 
go  Home,  and  to  be  for  ever  freed  from  siu,  would 
be  such  an  unspeakable  mercy.  But  I  know  that 
nothing  can  prolong  life  beyond  God's  appointed 
time,  and  that  He  will  not  suffer  me  to  die  until  He 
has  jnade  me  meet  for  glory.  And  now  it  seems  as 
if,  more  than  ever,  I  were  boimd  to  devote  whatever 
is  left  of  my  life,  be  it  weeks,  or  months,  or  years, 
to  His  service  only.  I  am  so  anxious  to  ask  you  to 
pray  that  I  may  be  taught  how  I  may  best  employ 
my  time  here,  both  for  my  own  growth  in  grace  and 
for  the  good  of  my  fellow-creatures.     I  have  felt  veij 


SYMPATHY     OF     CHRIST.  09 

much  for  you  ill  losing ;  but  one  thought  h;r- 

so  struck  me,  which  may  perhaj)s  occupy  y.)-.ir 
thoughts,  too,  in  a  happy  way.  It  is  the  delight 
which  Jesus,  in  His  humanity,  must  feel,  as  He  gets 
back  one  and  another  to  be  with  Him.  Should  we  not 
sympatliize  in  this  His  joy,  while  He  sympathizes  in^ 
our  sorrow  ?" 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

In  lior  Diary,  she  writes:  "-May  6  (1848). — Left 
TorqUc\y,  and  reached  Bath  at  three  p.m.  May  9. — 
Dr.  M'Xeile  talked  to  me  at  breakfast  on  Cant.  vi.  12, 
and  on  the  holy,  rapturous  delight  we  ought  to  enjoy. 
He  expounded  2  Thess,  i.,  and  Ps.  vii.,  especially 
with  regard  to  calumny.  May  15. — Left  Clifton  at 
one,  and  reached  Leylands  at  half-past  eight ;  truly 
'upheld;'  crowned  with  lovingkinduess  and  tender 
mercies." 

Elsewhere,  in  the  Diary,  she  says :  " '  The  Lord 
is  in  His  holy  temple.'  '  Ye  are  the  temple  of  the 
living  God.'  Lord,  dwell  in  me,  and  '  rest  in  thy 
love'  towards  me  !  Hear  the  voice  of  the  breathing 
— the  cry  of  thy  hidden  ones.     (Rom.  viii.  26,  27.)" 

And  again:  "Dear called,  but  only  had  time 

to  allude  to  the  conununion  which  is  to  be  i^crfected 
in  heaven,  and  of  which  the  foretastes  here  had 
made  some  of  the  happiest   days  on  earth."     And 

another  day  :  "  At  half-past  five,  M B was 

sent  for,  to  bo  conveyed  in  the  chariots  of  angels  to 
the  heavenly  banqueting-house,  to  go  no  more  out" 
And  on  April  3:  "This  day  I  finished  Canticles; 
how  ofti-n  1  have  wondered  whether  I  should  live  to 
do  so." 


HE  ART-DEEP.  101 

And  on  the  day  following:  "  This  morning  I  awoke 
betwixt  throe  and  four,  with  such  a  sense  of  extreme 
difficulty  in  breathing,  that  I  really  thought  I  was 
dying.  I  believe  I  never  felt  this  in  my  life  before. 
I  was  obliged  to  get  up,  but  found  relief  in  a  fit 
of  coughing.  I  did  not  wish  to  die  at  that  mo- 
ment, but  even  prayed  to  be  spared  j^et  a  little  longer! 
That  very  near  feeling  of  death  was  very  painful 
to  flesh  and  blood.  The  Lord  give  me  the  victory 
over  it  when  He  calls  me  to  pass  through  the  shadow 
of  it !" 

And    on   July   9 :    "  My   precious   and    beloved 

Harriet  B ruptured  a  blood-vessel  at  nine  p.m., 

and  her  spirit  fled  to  Jesus  !  Blessed  sovereignty  of 
our  unchanging  God,  who  docs  what  He  wills  with 
His  own  !  The  last  time  we  ever  met  on  an  earthly 
Sabbath  in  God's  earthly  courts  was  on  Easter 
Sunday,  when  we  both  went  to  meet  at  His  table  to 
conuncmoratc  the  resurrection  of  Christ  the  Head ! 
When  we  next  meet,  will  it  not  bo  in  our  eternal 
Sabbath,  in  our  heavenly  Father's  house  above,  to 
join  in  the  marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb,  at  the  re- 
surrection of  the  members  ?  Thrice  blessed  fellow- 
shi])  in  Jesus !" 

The  summer  of  1848  was  spent  at  Leylands. 

Herbert  counsels  him  who  would  bear  worthily 
God's  message,  to  "dip  and  season  all  his  words  and 
sentences  in  his  heart  before  they  come  into  his 
mouth,  truly  atlecting  and  curdi;illy  expressing  all  that 
he  says,  so  that  the  auditors  may  plainly  perceive 
that  evei-v  word  is  heart-ileep."    Fr.r  some  time  ba-"k, 


102  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

dear  Adelaide  liad  been  engaged  in  a  study  wliich 
very  peculiarly  needed  such  a  method.  "In  1847," 
writes  lier  sister,  "  she  had  begun  her  notes  on  the 
Song  of  Solomon,  looking  into  the  Bible  for  illustra- 
tive and  parallel  texts,  whenever  her  suftering  in  the 
head  would  allow  her ;  and  thus  had  commenced  a 
MS.  which  afterwards  expanded  into  '  The  Song  of 
Solomon,  compared  with  otlier  parts  of  Scripture.' " 
And,  on  May  25  (1848),  she  herself  writes:  "I  am 
now  re-writiiig  my  texts  on  Canticles,  and  fresh  beau- 
ties open  to  me  in  every  verse.  And  yet  how  in- 
tensely little  the  most  deeply  experienced  Christian 
knows  of  the  fulness  of  the  Word  of  God — the  liv- 
ing Word  in  the  written  Word  ?" 

And.  on  July  4,  she  writes  :  "  I  am  now  in  chap, 
vi.  Ask  for  quickening  grace,  for  '  the  wind  to 
blow  upon  my  soul,  that  its  spices  may  flow  out,' 
and  for  more  of  the  mind  of  Jesus.  I  was  thinking 
yesterday  how  little  we  know  of  sympathy  with  Him 
— how  Itttle  we  are  sharers  of  His  joy,  His  peace, 
His  sorrows.  His  expectations — '  from  henceforth  ex- 
pecting.' " 

And  to  another,  on  July  10:  "His  'Notes  on 
Judges'  open  up  exactly  the  same  truth  which  I 
have  been  dwelling  upon  in  Canticles — that  repeated 
declensions  cause  greater  and  more  lengthened  sea- 
sons of  distance  fi'om  the  Lord,  and  He  does  not  so 
immediately  give  the  renewed  sense  of  His  presence. 
Many,  many  times  lately,  when  I  have  been  tempted 
to  the  lecommission  of  the  very  same  sin,  with  the 
full  conviction  tliat  I  sIkiuM  have  to  go  an<l  ask  for- 


THE     PRECIOL'S     BIBLE.  103 

^veness  as  soon  as  I  had  committed  it,  I  liave  pain- 
fully felt — exactly  what  Mr.  B.  says,  that  it  is  a 
very  serious  thing  to  be  drawing  on  God's  forgive 
ness." 

It  was  thus  she  was  dij^iiing  day  by  day  the  Word 
*'  heart-deep."  "  Whilst  any  book,"  says  her  sister, 
"  particularly  if  it  were  original  and  deep  in  thought, 
which  threw  light  upon  the  one  Book,  she  would 
listen  to  or  eagerly  read  for  herself,  her  precious 
Bible  grew  in  preciousness — type,  prophecy,  his- 
tory, parable,  alike  fed  her,  and,  in  feeding,  '  satis- 
fied' her.  Often  when  I  came  in  from  a  walk,  she 
would,  with  the  brightest  look  and  smile,  say  how  she 
had  been  *  revelling'  in  such  a  passage,  or  in  such  a 
sentence !" 

"  O  Book !"  her  whole  remaining  pilgrimage 
6e*»med  to  say — 

"  0  Book  I  infinite  sweetness  1  let  my  heart 
Suck  ev'ry  letter,  and  a  honey  gain, 
Precious  for  any  grief  in  any  part, 

To  clear  the  breast,  to  mollify  all  pain. 

"  Thon  art  all  health ;  health  thriving  till  it  make 
A  full  eternity.     Thou  art  a  mass 
Of  strange  delights,  where  we  may  wish  and  take. 

"  Heav'n  lies  flat  in  thee, 
Subject  to  every  mounter's  bended  knee. 

**  Oh,  that  I  knew  how  all  thy  lights  combine. 

And  the  configurations  of  their  glory  I 

Seeing  not  only  how  each  verse  doth  shine, 

But  all  the  constellations  of  the  sloryl 


104  M  K  M  O  I  U     ()  F     A  .     1. .     N  V.  W  T  O  N  . 

"Such  are  thy  secrets;  ^vhic•ll  my  life  makes  good, 
And  coiniiiciit';  oti  thoe. 

"  Stars  nre  poor  books,  and  oftentimes  do  miss: 
Tliis  book  of  stars  lights  to  eternal  bliss." 

In  July  ;m  jirrest  was  laid  upon  her  pen,  "  One 
rather  unfavorable  symptom,"  she  says,  "  has  ap- 
peared lately,  which  makes  the  doctor  urge  all  rest 
from  mental  effort  that  I  can  mate."  And  to  an- 
other :  "  I  never  felt  so  completely  compelled  to 
bow  before  the  sovereign  will  of  God  as  at  this 
moment,  I  think.  You  would  hardly  believe  how 
fierce  the  conflict  sometimes  is,  between  longing  to  be 
spared  for  active  work  in  the  vineyard,  and  thirst- 
ing for  that  nearer,  closer,  and  more  uninterrupted 
communion  with  Him  we  love,  which  heaven  only 
can  afford  !" 

And,  writing  to  one  of  her  sisters,  she  says :  "  T 
have  often  been  thinking  of  you  all,  and  wishing  you 
much  of  that  piosence  of  the  Lord  which  makes  the 
hearts  of  Ilis  disciples  '  burn  within  them  while  they 
talk  together  by  the  way.'  And  how  truly  are  we 
on  the  wav,  'journeying  to  the  land  of  which  the 
Lord  hath  said  thi'.t  He  will  give  it  to  us,'  pitching 
our  tents  nearer  and  still  nearer  the  heavenly  city  ! 
lam  so  fond  of  that  contrast:  'tents'  now!  but  'a 
city  which  hath  fouiulations'  then — '  t-ternal  in  the 
heavens !'  These  are  tlic  thoughts  with  which  we 
must  'comfort  one  auoth.T  ;'  and  our  'hope  raaketh 
not  ashamed.'  " 

And  to  another,  a   few  days  later :  "  Precious — 


THE     MUDDY     S  T  H  E  A  M  .  105 

I'ery,  very  precious — is  the  soveroio-iiiy  of  our  CJod  ! 
Don't  you  think  it  is  a  trutli  one  learns  to  prize  more 
and  more  each  step  of  tlie  way  ?  It  used  to  strike 
me  so  much,  when  I  first  went  to  Torquay,  in  Mr. 
Fayle's  sermons — how  very  much  he  dwelt  upon  it ; 
and  now  I  see  why  I  was  to  hear  it  just  then.  But 
it  is  a  pity,"  she  adds,  "  to  speak  of  one's-self  to  any 
who  love  better  to  hear  of  Jesus.  Wj-iting  of  llim 
is  like  talking  of  Him  to  others ;  it  quickens  our 
own  souls,  as  we  learn  from  the  Bride  in  Cant.  v. 
And  though  we  may  have  Him  in  own  our  hearts, 
and  speak  of  Him  there,  still  it  is  a  pity  to  drink 
from  a  muddy  stream  when  the  Fountain  is  iiigli. 
Have  you  seen  much  of  Him  in  the  Word  lately  ? 
I  know  it  is  God's  wisdom  which  so  places  me,  that 
I  should  have  to  go  direct  to  Him.  And  how  able 
and  willing  He  is  to  give  me  all  I  ask  !  '  Open  thy 
mouth  wide  and  /  will  fill  it.'  I  should  like  your 
letter,  when  you  write,  full  of  your  late  '  gleanings' 
from  the  fields  of  our  '  Boaz.'  " 

Love  to  the  brethren  was,  with  dear  Adelaide,  not 
a  doti^ma  of  creed,  but  an  instinct — a  i>assion.  "  It 
would,  indeed,"  she  writes,  "  have  been  a  delightful 
refresh inent  to  have  some  communion  on  earth  v/ith 
one  who  seems  to  live  so  near  to  his  God  and  our 
God  ;  but  the  Lord  saw  it  not  good  at  that  time." 
And  to  another :  "  I  often  wonder  at  God's  good- 
ness to  me,  in  lotting  me  have  so  many  of  His  friends 
as  my  friends  on  earth — some  who  seem  to  live  so 
near  to  Him  that  I  think  they  must  be  peculiarly 
dear  to  Him,  if  that   is  possible.     And  there  does 


106  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

seem  to  be  such  a  difference  betwixt  tbose  who  are 
'  scarcely  saved'  and  those  to  Avhom  '  an  abundant 
entrance'  is  trivon — those  who  have  lived  for  many 
years  in  fellowship  with  Jesus  here,  and  those  who 
have  but  given  themselves  to  Him  at  the  eleventh 
hour." 

God  in  everything — in  the  little  things  of  life,  not 
less  than  in  the  great !  and  my  God  !  my  Father  1 
whr.t  a  secret  of  calm  rest ! 

"  Teach  me,  my  God  and  King, 
In  all  things  Thee  to  see ; 
And  what  I  do  in  anything, 
To  do  it  as  for  Thee. 

"  This  is  the  famous  stone 
That  turneth  all  to  gold ; 
For  that  which  God  doth  touch  and  own 
Cannot  for  less  be  told." 

Dear  Adelaide  was  daily  learning  more  of  this 
heavenly  alchemy.  "  May  it  go  forth  and  prosper," 
is  her  counsel  to  a  friend,  regarding  a  Work  with 
which  her  correspondent  was  occupied,  "  and  God's 
blessing  go  before  you  in  it !  'All  Thy  works  praise 
Thee.'  May  He  give  you  to  see  His  hand  in  every 
single  fibre  and  leaf  you  arrange  and  classify  !  and 
then  you  will  be  learning  heavenly  lessons  in  earthly 
things.  If!  might  venture  to  say  so  to  you,  I  should 
very  strongly  advise  you  not  to  take  one  step  in  the 
publishing  of  that  work  without  prayer.  Pray  for 
God's  blessing  to  go  with  every  letter  you  write 
about  it,  and,  in  short,  with  all  that  concerns  it  and 


WORKING     FOR     GOd's     GLORY.  107 

you  and  your  friends.  '  Whatsoever  ye  do — whetlier 
ye  eat  or  drink  (or  arrange  seaweeds,  might  it  not  bfi 
said  ?) — do  all  to  the  glory  of  God.'  Do,  if  you  can, 
make  that  a  higher  aim  and  object  even  than  your 
own  benefit.  Forgive  me  for  saying  so  ;  it  is  because 
I  have  found  such  precious  enjoyment  in  turning  my 
ordinary  employments  to  spiritual  good  in  that  way, 
that  I  mention  it  to  you.  It  is  not  irreverent  to 
pray  to  God  about  such  things  :  there  is  not  an  act  of 
our  lives  He  does  not  see,  JXi\j,  that  lie  did  not  fore- 
see from  eternity;  and  He  would  have  us  like  chil- 
dren, speaking  of  everything  which  interests  them  to 
their  father." 

And  she  adds  :  "  Whilst  writing  these  thoughts, 
B.  came  to  the  window  with  some  lovely  'forget-me- 
nots,'  saying,  '  They  may  forget,  yet  will  I  not  forget 
thee.'     Was  not  that  exactly  carrying  out  what  I 

was  saying?      Oh  !  dearest  M ,  let  us  earnestly 

seek  closer  hourly  communion  with  God  in  Christ. 
It  cari-ies  one  calmly  through  bodily  and  mental  suf- 
fering ;  and  this  glorifies  God." 

And  to  another  :  "  I  am  indeed  delighted  that  you 
are  so  fond  of  tracing  His  hand  in  the  little  daily 
events  of  life.  I  find  it  makes  the  most  disagreeable 
things,  and  people,  a  cross  to  be  borne  after  Jesus, 
and  so— a  piivilege." 

To  "  wait"  and  to  "  work,"  are  equally  "  living 
sacrifices,"  when  offered  up  in  faith  and  in  hope.  "I 
cannot  say  how  very  unsatisfactory  my  life  seems  at 
times,"  she  writes,  "  nor  how  difficult  it  is  to  believe 
that  T  am  just  in  the  very  best  position  ;  but  I  sup- 


108  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

pose  we  shall  understand  it  all  very  soon.  Talking 
IS  such  a  trouble  to  me  ;  but  it  is  foolish  to  write 
about  it.  How  very  little  it  matters !  I  am  often 
obliged  to  say  to  myself, 

"  '  Tarry  thou  the  Lord's  leisure,' 

whilst  at  the  same  time  I  dread  sinking  into  luke- 
warmuess.  Oh  !  how  difficult  it  is  to  let  our 
'  moderation'  be  known  !  I  never  satisfy  myself 
about  anything  until  I  can  desire  to  lie  like  clay  in 
the  hands  of  the  potter,  that  He  may  make  me  what 
He  pleases,  both  in  bodily  and  in  spiritual  thing.-^." 
)  Reverting  to  the  subject  of  self-examination,  she- 
writes,  on  August  7  (1848):  "I  am  learning  one 
lesson  at  least  just  now — to  see  more  of  my  own 
vileness.  It  is  a  lesson  I  would  shrink  from  learning 
through  examination  of  my  own  heart  to  know  its 
secret  evil :  but  I  have-  asked  that  I  might  be  taught 
what  God  saw  it  needful  for  me  to  know,  and  T 
desire  to  leave  it  to  His  way  of  teaching.  I  often 
fear  I  may  lose  by  not  searching  it  out  for  myself; 
and  yet  I  believe  that  watchfulness  at  the  time,  and 
not  retrospective  self-examination,  is  the  scriptural 
thing.  Do  you  catch  my  meaning  ?  Di<l  you  ever 
get  upon  that  subject  with  any  of  your  deeply- 
taught  friends  ?  It  is  as  interesting  and  important 
to  my  mind  as  ever ;  and  so  is  '  crucifying  the 
ilesh.' " 

Her  health,  with  the  exception  already  naiiied> 
continued,  this  summer  and  autumn,  much  the  same. 
"  1  am  a  regular  invalid  still,"  she  writes  to  an  old 


AN     ABIDING     PEACE.  1 09 

schoolfellow,  ou  Aug.  31,  "always  lyinor  on  the 
sofa — better  in  the  summer,  worse  in  the  winter, 
and  obliged  to  spend  half  the  year  at  Torquay. 
Still  I  am  able  now  to  employ  myself  quietly  in  m}' 
own  room,  without  any  of  the   intense  suffering  I 

have   had.     Dear  E ,  don't  you  feel  more  and 

more  every  day  how  very  little  temporal,  temporary 
things  have  to  do  with  our  real,  lasting,  eternal 
happiness  ?  I  hope  you  are  very  happy,  not  only  in 
the  full  erjoyment  of  earthly  blessings,  but  in  the 
possession  of  that  calm,  sure,  and  abiding  peace, 
which  the  world  giveth  not,  for  Jesus  calls  it  '  my 
peace.'  Most  truly  can  I  afHrm,  that  nothing  shoit 
of  it  could  ever  have  carried  me  throusfh  the  lono- 
illness  I  have  had,  and  tlio  intense  suffering  of  the 
two  last  winters.     I  believe  you  never  knew  dearest 

11 B :  she,  too,  spent  the  two  last  winters 

at  Torquay ;  but  she  is  gone  Home,  and  has  loft  me 
behind." 

And  to  the  same  friend,  on  Sept.  11:  "I  have  noi 

heard  from  A for  many  months  :  perhaps  I  wrote 

more  faithfully  than  she  quite  liked  about  her  mar- 
riage ;  for  I  could  not  help  trembling  for  her  at  the 
prospect  of  uniting  herself  to  one  whom  she  could 
only  say  she  hoped  was  'well-disposed  !'  and  I  loved 
her  too  well  not  to  tell  her  the  truth.  I  know  it  is 
impossible  for  those  who  have  never  felt  it,  to  enter 
into  the  feelings  of  those  who  have  looked  upon  life 
from  the  borders  of  the  grave ;  it  gives  a  reality  and 
a  comparative  value  to  each,  which  must  bo  learned 
experimentally  to  be  mderstood.  //bip  difterentlv  we 
10 


110  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

shall  feel  when  we  look  back,  from  another  state  of 
existence,  upon  a  life  frittered  away  in  vanity,  instead 
of  being  spent  in  sowing  seed  for  eternity,  I  cannot 
form  any  idea — the  thought  is  so  perfectly  overwliehii- 
ing  to  me." 

And  to  another,  on  Sept.  28  :  "I  have  had  a  beau- 
tiful letter  from  L this  morning.     She  seems  to 

be  growing  very  fast  in  likeness  to  Jesus,  quite  mak- 
ing that  her  first  business  in  life.  Oh!  is  it  not 
strange  that  the  things  which  literally  '  peiish  in  the 
using,'  should  occupy  us  more  than  durable,  eternal 
realities?  I  will  send  to  both  of  you  Prov.  viii.  18, 
as  beautifully  expressing  what  you  come  into  when 
you  go  out  of  the  world  and  are  separate  from  it, 
and  are  received  by  the  Father.  There,  in  Jesus, 
you  are  heirs  to  unsearchable  riches.  May  you  both 
find  the  weight  of  this  scale  increasing,  as  you  more 
and  more  lighten  the  other!  You  will  not  regret  to 
see  the  world's  side  continually  rising,  if  you  have 
the  deep,  deep  comforts  which  spring  from  the  filling 
up  of  the  other  till  it  sinks  you  into  eternity,  'filled 
with  all  the  fulness  of  God.'  Remember  me  at  a 
throne  of  grace :  you  don't  know  how  much  grace 
I  need  to  live  with,  ere  I  need  dying  grace.  P>ut  it 
only  wants  asking  for." 

"  She  rejoiced,"  says  a  friend  who  knew  Adelaide 
well,  "in  every  opportunity  of  studying  the  holy 
Scriptures,  as  one  who  had  found  great  spoil,  llei 
face  literally  seemed  to  shine  with  serene  delight  as 
she  elicited,  step  by  stej),  the  unsearchable  richrs  of 
Christ."      "I  am   longing,"  she  herself   writes,   uu 


LIFE     ETERNAL.  Ill 

Sept.  29  (1848),  "  to  hear  from  you  again  if  you 
have  any  rich  Bible-tlioiiglits  for  me.  Precious,  pre- 
cious treasure  ! 

"  'My  never-failing  treasury,  filled 
With  boundless  stores  of  grace  !' 

I  really  <lo  think  my  Bible  is  enough  for  me,  where- 
over  or  whatever  I  am :  and  the  wilderness  loses  its 
lonehness,  while  we  lean  on  the  arm  of  our  Beloved. 
We  can  forget  what  a  rough,  thorny  loal  wo  are 
walking  on,  while  our  thoughts  were  engrossed  in  con- 
verse with  One  so  all -engrossing  as  Jesus! — ITim  m\ 
whom  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily ! 
Oh  !  what  very  amazing  thoughts  for  frail  humanity 
to  pen  !  And  yet  we  are  ourselves  the  very  mem- 
bers of  that  Body  in  whom  this  fulness  dwells  !  Oh  ! 
to  think  and  write  such  things  with  the  deep,  deep 
reverence  which  becomes  the  beggar  raised  from  the 
dunghill !" 

And,  in  the  same  letter,  she  adds :  "  I  am  very 
much  interested  in  prophetical  thoughts  just  now. 
K  the  Lord  will,  Ave  miy,  perhaps,  go  into  these 
depths  of  divinely  revealed  truth  this  winter.  I  doi 
so  covet  to  know  all  that  I  can  know  by  faith,  while' 
yet  in  this  earthly  tabernacle.  No  wonder  Time 
should  fail,  if  Eternity  cannot  exhaust  its  treasures. 
'  This  is  life  eternal,  to  know  Thee  !'  " 

Tenderly  watching  over  one  very  dear  to  her,  she 
writes  :  "As  a  birth-day  text,  I  cannot  choose  a  more 
comprehensive  and  glorious  assurance  for  you  than 
Phil.  iv.  19 — 'My  God  shall  supply  all  your  need  ac- 


J  1  2  M  K  M  O  1  K     OF     A  .     L  .     N  E  WT  O  >r  . 

cording  to  His  riches  in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus. 
Not  according  even  to  my  best  wishes  for  you,  for 
these  are  unworthy  of  Ilim,  but  '  according  to  His 
i-iches  in  glory !'  Nothing  seems  to  me  to  make  the 
Christian  so  peffectly  happy  and  conteniSed — come 
what  will — as  the  certain  knowledge  that  God  does 
it  out  of  His  riches  of  grace,  and  glory,  and  wisdom 
— yea,  '  the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  His  wis- 
dom and  knowledge.'  He  has  no  need  to  act  spa- 
ringly; He  cannot  act  ignorantly  ;  He  delights  to  act 
freely,  out  of  the  riches  of  His  glory.     Oh  !  dearest 

M ,  are  not  such  thoughts  enough  to  silence  all 

the  misgivings  of  our  timid,  anxious  hearts  ?  Two 
very  favourite  birth-day  texts  of  mine  are — '  Our 
DAYS  on  the  earth  are  as  a  shadow,'  '  but  thy  years 
are  to  all  generations.'  I  am  fond  of  contrast- 
ing the  littleness  of  our  existence  hei-e  with  the 
eternity  of  the  existence  of  our  God.  It  makes  us 
feel  what  it  is  to  be  safely  anchored  to  the  '  Rock 
of  ages.' " 

In  other  letters  of  this  period,  she  writes :  "  I  have 
been  so  greatly  enjoying  those  veises  in  Ps.  Ixv.  which 
speak  of  His  showers  as  '  dissolving'  the  earth  [marg.) 
— such  a  sweet  emblem  of  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  softening  and  dissolving  our  stony,  parched, 
and  barren  souls."  And  again  :  "  You  have  perhaps 
heard  that  tlie   Lord  has  taken  my  beloved  friend 

to  Iliinsoir.     'Another  lily  gathered!'     As  my 

treasure  accumulates  iu  heaven,  so  may  my  heart  and 
atiections  be  more  drawn  thither  !"  And  still  again  : 
"  I  suppose   I  said,  I  believe  glory  to  bo  consequent 


T  H  K     LOVE     OF      I-  H  K     SAVIOUR.  113 

upon  sutleriiig.  I  iiiennt  by  this,  merely  flio  neces- 
sary connexion  betwixt  the  two,  which  I  bad  in  my 
mind.  And  botli  come  from  our  oneness  zvith  Christ. 
That  is  one  of  tbe  most  precious  of  all  truths,  is  it 
not  ?  indeed,  the  foundation  of  everything  that  con- 
cerns Christians  :  '  no  longer  tAvain,  but  one  flesh  ;' 
'  members  of  His  body,  and  of  His  flesh,  and  of  His 
bones  V  " 

As  the  autumn  advanced,  we  find  her  at  work  again. 
"  I  am  in  hopes,"  she  writes,  "  of  getting  a  Ragged 
school  established  in  Derby.  Will  you  try  to  pray 
about  it  for  me  ?  It  is  a  suitable  male  teacher  wo 
want,  and  faith  to  act  on  Mark  xi.  24."  Her  efforts 
for  this  school  only  ended  with  her  life ;  and  a  re- 
markable blessing  followed  them. 

And  other  labours  she  resumed  v.-ith  new  earnest- 
ness. "I  must  plead  guilty  to  your  charge  of  very 
long  silence,"  she  says,  writing  to  ;i  friend,  on 
Oct.  8  (1848),  "I  was  forbidden  in  July  to  write 
more  than  I  could  help  ;  but  for  some  weeks  lately  I 
have  been  j)eifectly  well  able  to  wiite,  only  I  have 
had  a  Torquay  friend  staying  with  me,  whose  life 
seems  so  uncertain  that  I  tried  to  devote  my  whole 
time  and  strength,  to  her.  Till  fourteen,  she  had 
never  seen  a  Bible,  and  had  known  but  little  of  it 
comparatively  since  till  last  winter;  and  it  has  been 
my  precious  privilege  to  lead  her  to  see  and  taste 
more  of  the  depths  and  heights  of  the  boundless, 
fathomless  love  of   that  Saviour  so   richly  unf(.)Ided 

to  vis  there.     Ah,  dear  F ,  never,  never  shall  we 

k::o',v  it  a'l.  Eternity  ifsvlf  shall  be  ever  employed 
10'' 


114  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTOV. 

ill  opening  up  tlie  stores  of  grace  treasured  up  for  us 
in  Him." 

In  the  same  letter  she  gives  us  a  little  cabinet- 
picture  of  her  daily  outward  life.  "  I  almost  feel 
reluctant,"  she  says,  "  to  waste  ray  moments  in  writ- 
ing, and  yours  in  reading,  about  myself,  when  there 

are  such   themes  before  us ;  but,  as  dear  Dr. 

used  to  tell  me,  oven  my  body  is  precious  to  Christ, 
for  He  has  purchased  it  and  made  it  His.  So  you 
shall  hear  what  He  has  done  for  the  '  earthly  house 
of  this  tabernacle.'  I  am  wonderfully  better  ;  much 
stronger,  and  suffer  but  little  pain.  Still  I  am  not 
strong  enough  to  bear  the  carriage,  or  much  exertion 
of  any  kind.  I  live  very  quietly,  chiefly  upstairs, 
and  get  out  a  little  in  the  garden  whenever  the 
weather  will  let  me.  I  am  not  sure  yet  whether  1 
shall  go  back  to  Torquay.  I  am  doubtful  whether 
it  will  be  necessary.  How  sweet  it  is  to  leave  our- 
selves in  the  loving  hands  of  Jesus,  who  will  do  what 
is  best  for  us,  even  to  the  ordering  of  all  the  little 
daily  crosses  and  hourly  disappointments  of  life.  To 
see  each  thing  as  His  doing,  makes  it  all  sweet,  in 
spite  of  the  trial  which  it  may  be  in  itself.     Afay  He 

make  your  cup  to  run  over,  dearest  F ,  with  the 

'  wine  and  milk'  which  Ho  offers  so  freely  for  our 
use,  filling  you  '  with  all  the  fulness  of  God.'" 

Towards  the  end  of  October,  it  was  decided  to 
winter  once  more  at  Torquay.  "The  cold  of  the 
last  few  days  and  nights,"  she  writes,  on  Oct.  18, 
"  makes  me  thankful  that  I  have  not  had  my  own 
way,  which  M-ould  have  been  to  try  and  stay  here. 


SELF-EXAMINATION.  116 

The  more,  however,  /  devised  tliat  scheme,  the  more  \ 
plainly  God  seemed  to  opeu  the  way  for  our  going; 
and  I  feel  a  great  secret  pleasure  in  having  my  will  i 
crossed,  and  so  in  being  led  blindly  by  a  way  I  know^' 
not." 

In  the  interval,  she  writes  :  "  I  believe  those  who 
are  most  purified  will  reflect  the  Refiner's  image  the 
most  brightly.  The  finer  and  most  exquisite  features 
of  the  Christian  character  are  brought  out  only  in 
protracted  purification  by  fire — don't  you  think  so  ? 
The  soul  is  safe  for  eternity,  if  there  have  been  but  the 
believing  look  to  Jesus ;  but  then  the  development 
of  the  graces  of  the  Spirit  have  not  had  time  for 
exercise.  There  must  be  trial,  ere  we  can  exercise  ^ 
'  patience,'  and  irritating  circumstances  to  call  forth  J 
'  long-suftering.' " 

And,  reverting  to  a  subject  before  noticed,  she' 
says :  "  Self-examination  I  have  studied  with  no 
ordinary  care  for  months,  I  think  Chiistians  are  in 
great  bondage  concerning  it.  I  hope  you  will  for-, 
give  me  for  saying  so.  I  am  so  sure  that  much  of  ' 
the  gloomy  doubtfulness  of  the  Lord's  people,  as  to 
whether  they  are  His  or  not,  arises  from  seeking 
evidences  in  themselves,  instead  of  only  looking  to 
Him,  which  is  itself  the  most  convincing  of  all  evi- 
dences, that  I  dread  looking  much  to  self  for  any 
cause.  '  Walking  in  the  light  will  surely  best  sho\v.' 
us  our  darkness!" 

And,  on  the  eve  of  setting  out,  she  writes,  on  Oct. 
30  (1848),  to  one  of  her  sisters,  thus  :  "  What  I  wish 
for  you,   above   everything  else,  dearest  H ,  is, 


116  VEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

that  you  may  have  your  heart  so  full  of  thoughts  of 
Jesus  as  to  be  able  to  say : 

"  '  I  journey  through  a  desert,  drear  and  wild, 

Yet  is  ray  heart  with  such  sweet  thoughts  beguiled, 
Of  Him  on  whom  I  lean,  my  Strength  and  Stay, 
I  can  forget  the  sorrows  of  the  way  1' 

Wl)y  sliould  we  not  ?  There  is  no  blank,  no  void 
which  Jesus  cannot  fill.  Does  He  not  create  those 
blanks  in  order  to  fill  them  ?  We  can  only  learn 
'  the  fulness  of  Jesus'  by  being  emptied  of  self.  May 
He  make  this  a  fresh  means  of  filling  you  with  all 
the  fulness  of  God  !  a  fresh  creature-stream  dried 
up,  that 'the  fulness  of  Him  who  filleth  all  in  all,' 
may  flow  in  !     Let  us  sec  God's  designs  in  trying  us  : 

• 
" '  The  clouds  we  so  much  dread 
Are  big  with  mercy,  and  shall  break 
In  blessings  on  your  head ! ' 

'The  balancings  of  the  clouds  are  His !  They  come 
charged  with  rain,  to  refresh  the  dry  and  thiisty 
ground.  Let  iis  thank  God  and  take  courage,  and 
go  ou  our  way  rejoia'-ng !" 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Her  last  -winter  at  Torquay  opened  brightly.  "  We 
are  very  happy  altogether,"  she  writes,  on  Nov.  13 
(1848).  "May  our  joy  be  only  'in  the  Lord,'  and 
not  in  our  circumstances !  As  to  the  future,  I  am 
now  heartily  desirous  not  to  choose  or  wish  for 
myself,  either  to  live  or  die.  To  be  content  under 
all  circumstances  is  the  highest  attainmeiit  of  the 
Christian  life,  and  .is  certainly  the  summit  of  hap- 
piness. It  is  a  lesson  -which  it  seems  to  take  a  life  ' 
to  learn  ;  but  Paul  says  he  had  learned  it." 

Under  the  same  roof  v.ith  her,  this  winter,  there 
resided  a  visitor  who  found  in  dear  Adelaide  "  her 
first  spii-itual  friend."  "  I  think,"  says  her  sister, 
"she  was  only  thirteen,  though  quite  womanly  in 
appearance  and  manner.  She  was  charmed  with 
Adelaide  at  first  sight ;  and  the  affection  was  mutual, 
for  Adelaide  warmly  returned  it,  and  had  her  with 
her  as  much  as  possible — the  result  being  beyond  the 

attachments  of  eaith,  for  J learned  to  know  and 

love  the  Saviour.     Whenever  I  was  out,  J sat 

on  a  little  stool  by  her  sofa,  drinking  in  words  of 
etern-d  life.  She  went  back  to  school  in  February, 
1819,  loving  Jesus  as  her  Lord,  and   loving  her  new 


118  MEMOIR     OK     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

friend  as  the  means  of  first  opening  her  mind  to  see 
His  beauty  and  to  feel  His  preciousness.  She  now 
resides  in  India,  and  has  since  walked  most  consist- 
ently as  a  follower  of  Christ." 

Her  health  having  on  the  whole  improved,  "  Ade- 
laide was  able,"  says  her  sister,  "  to  see  more  of  her 
iViends  and  neighbours."  And  alluding  to  this,  she 
herself  writes,  on  Nov.  22  :  "I  am  quite  in  the  world 
again  (to  me)  here  now  ;  and  I  find  it  very  trying 
and  soul-hardening :  but  God  is  able  to  make  all 
grace  abound  toward  us,  and  I  feel  as  if  we  should 
specially  glorify  Him  by  trusting  Him  to  cany  on 
His  own  work  in  us  as  mightily  and  eff"ectually  in 
the  midst  of  every  sort  of  hindrance  as  in  the  quiet 
of  solitude.  Are  not  you  too  much  inclined  to  put 
yourself  out  of  the  world  in  order  to  be  wholly  given 
to  God,  while  Christ's  prayer  for  us  is — '  I  pray  not 
that  thou  shouldest  take  them  out  of  the  world,  but 
that  thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the  evil  V  That 
is  the  nature  of  His  intercession  for  us  both,  as  much 
now  as  then,  and  especially  so  (don't  you  think  ?) 
when  He  sympathizingly  feels  how  much  we  botli 
need  it." 

The  Word  became  increasingly  precious  to  lier. 
"  I  have  been  so  enjoying  Ps.  cxix.  lately,"  she  writes, 
on  the  same  date  :  "  it  fully  says  all  that  I  am  sure 
you  and  I  feel  of  delighting  in  God's  Word  so  far 
above  everything  else.  A  dreadful  conversation  with 
poor  R.  W.  on  Monday  evening  made  me  go  to  bed, 
saying,  'Horror  hath  taken  hold  on  me  ;'  for  he 
actually  owned  to  me  that  he  dared  not,  and  could 


HUNGER  AFTER  LOVE.        119 

not,  promise  to  read  the  Bible  !  I  believe  he  has 
really  been  to  Oscott  and  joined  tlie  Papists  !  Though 
he  does  not  quite  own  it,  lie  can't  deny  it." 

And  she  adds  :  "  I  had  a  very  nice  visit  last  week 

to  Miss ,  a  girl  just  my  age,  and  ill  in  exactly 

the  same  way.  She  is  full  to  overflowing  of  Christ 
— can  think  and  talk  of  nothing  else  ;  and  her  coun- 
tenance liter;illy  reflects  His  bright  rays.  She  seems 
to  have  felt  all  I  have  about  life  and  death,  and  now 
at  last  has  learnt  to  be  quite  thankful  to  live,  though 
joyfully  waiting  to  be  gone.  She  told  me  she  had\ 
been  thinking  so  much  of  her  need  of  knowing 
Christ  personally,  in  order  to  be  able  in  Ilim  to  meet 
and  contend  with  the  peisonality  or  the  personal  ' 
agency  of  the  Devil.     You  will  feel  it  too,  I  think." 

Terstegen  once  wrote :  "  Do  not  think  so  much 
upon  denying  yourselves,  upon  being  faithful,  or  upon 
living  holily  and  strictly ;  but  only  seek  to  love — 
hunger  after  love — exercise  yourselves  in  love.  The 
love  of  Christ  constrains  the  believer  into  suffering 
and  through  suffering."  Alluding  to  a  trial  which 
had  come  upon  her,  Adelaide  writes,  on  Dec.  1 
(1848):  "I  find  a  blessing  to  myself  in  this  break- 
ing down  of  my  natural  will.  It  is  a  daily  cross, 
and  a  burden  ;  but  to  take  it  and  bear  it  after  Jesus, 
not  doing  my  own  will,  but  my  heavenly  Father's 
is  sweet  to  me  still.  Don't  you  feel  more  and  more, 
every  day,  that  to  be  dying  to  evciything  here,  and 
living  to  God,  with  a  full  sense  of  the  bearing  of  each 
passing  moment  on  eternity,  is  the  grand  end  of 
life  1      To  crucify  our  flesh  with  its  aftections  and 


120  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

Iu>*ts  —  not,  as  the  Roniauists  and  others  do,  to  feci 
that  they  have  done  a  good  deed,  but  because  we 
find  it  opposed  to  the  life  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in 
us,  so  opposite  as  it  is  to  the  patience,  gentleness, 
love,  meekness,  which  ought  to  be  reflected  in  the 
followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus ;  this  is  the 
aim  of  all  our  discipline." 

"  It  is  most  beautiful,"  she  :tdJs,  "  to  see  this  in 
some  of  the  tried  sufterers  here — their  cheerful  en- 
durance of  the  most  intense  pain  from  day  to  day 
without  a  passing  murmur,  and  their  bright  hope  of 
glory — 'an  eternal  weight  of  glory,'  which  (;is  one  of 
them  said  to  me  the  oilier  day)  7iwkes  the  afflictions 
seem  liglit.  It  is  most  encouraging  to  me  to  see  how 
others  are  borne  up  above  the  billoAvs  by  that  sure 
anchor  of  the  soul,  which  entereth  within  .the  vail, 
sustaining  them  ;  and  I  won't  shut  myself  out,  for  I 
am  sure  it  sustains  me  too,  through  every  sufteriug '>f 
mind  as  well  as  body." 

A  closer  intimacy  with  God  was  her  heart's  daily 
longing.  "  A  friend  said  to  me  the  otlier  day,"  she 
wiites,  "that  my  chief  object  ought  to  be  to  seek  to 
know  God  more  and  more ;  and  I  hope  I  am  learn- 
inor  somethinff  more  of  Him.  Mv  Bible  seems  to 
do  me  good  when  nothing  else  does ;  and  it  is  so 
sweet  to  seek  the  teaching  of  God's  Spirit,  and  then 
to  get  to  understand  a  little  of  the  meaning  of  one 
verse  after  another.  I  find  the  Bible  so  excecilingly 
full  of  comfort  and  beauty,  as  I  get  to  think  mni-e 
about  its  meaning." 

Vinct    speaks   of   that  "  eccentiic    philanthropy'* 


HOME-CORRESPONDENCE.  121 

which  "  passes  over  the  parent  to  give  itself  to 
(vnintry,  and  passes  over  country  to  attach  itself  to 
Immanitj ;  but  the  Gospel,"  he  adds,  "far  from  de- 
s|iisino:  the  private  affections,  recommends  them." 
Dear  Adelaide  loved  her  kindred,  and  anxiously 
laboured  to  help  them  forward  in  the  vpay.  With 
two  of  her  sisters  at  home,  she  maintained,  this 
winter,  a  peculiarly  touching  fellowship ;  and  as  it 
was  her  last  season  of  absence,  we  select  a  few  me- 
morials of  it. 

To  one  of  her  sisters  she  writes : 

"  Sunday  Mornixg,  Torquay, 
Nov.  19,  1848. 

"  My  Precious  N , 

"  It  shall  be  one  of  my  sweet  employments  on  this 
hallowed  day  to  minister,  as  God  shall  enable  me,  to 
your  necessities.  '  Iron  sharpeneth  iron,'  as  I  have 
been  thinking  very  often  lately ;  and  so  God  shall  use 
us  as  fellow-helpers  and  quickeners  to  each  "other,  as 
we  bend  our  steps,  on  each  successive  Sabbath,  not 
itideed  to  the  same  '  worldly  sanctuary,'  but  to  the 
same  heavenly  temple  not  made  with  hands — to  pre- 
sent ourselves  as  Hving  sacrifices  on  the  altar  of  that 
temple,  even  Jesus,  in  whose  whole  burnt-offering  of 
Himself  we,  as  the  members  of  His  body,  are  offered 
likewise  to  the  Father. 

"  Dead  and  risen  in  Him  1   for   the    same  Spirit 

which  baptizes  us  into  His  death,  makes  us  equally, 

of  necessity,  partakers  of  His  resurrection  also.    This 

is  the  grand  marvel  to  me,  that  we  are  now  as  truly 

11 


122  MEMOIR     or      A .     L .     NEWTON. 

riseu  as  we  are  dead  in  Jesus,  and  our  life  is,  as  trulj 
as  His  ovm,  hid  within  the  vail.  And  this  makes  it 
so  essentially  of  necessity,  that  the  Christian  must 
live  holily — i.e.,  in  exact  proportion  as  he  realizes  his 
resurrection-life.  His  conversation  or  citizenship  is 
in  heaven ;  and  his  conflict  and  his  waifare  are  con- 
sequently said  to  be  'in  high  or  heavenly  places.' 
(Eph.  vi.  12.) 

"  I  heartily  thank  God  for  giving  you  more  of 
Himself,  directly  from  Himself,  in  place  of  its  coming 
through  an  '  earthen  vessel,'  which  both  limits  the 
abounding  flow  of  His  fulness,  and  also  gives  an 
earthy  taste  to  the  living  water.  The  smallest  and 
most  muddy  stream  of  that  water  quenches  more  ol 
the  thirst  of  the  soul  than  the  greatest  abundance  of 
earthly  good ;  but  it  is  a  pity  we  are  content  with 
impure  and  limited  draughts  of  what  we  might  drink 
'freely'  (Rev.  xxii.  Il)  and  'abundantly'  (Cant.  v.  1) 
from  '  the  wells  of  salvation,'  '  the  fountain  of  living 
waters  ;'  and  I  really  account  it  a  great  mercy  to  be 
driven  to  this. 

"  Go  on  from  strength  to  strength,  testifying  of 
Jesus  while  He  gives  you  time  and  strength  to  speak 
for  Him ;  and,  in  telling  others  about  Him,  you  shaU 
yourself  find  Him  to  be  your  Beloved  and  youi 
Friend,  as  in  Cant.  v.  I  praise  Him  heartily  for  M. 
W.  Ask  Him  to  make  all  you  say  to  be  the  breath- 
ing of  His  Spiiit  through  you,  and  it  shall  be  life-giv- 
iuf  and  quickening.  He  blesses  you  wonderfully ; 
above  all,  in  the  circulation  of  His  own  Word,  which 
never  returns  void  to  Him  who  sends  it.     What  an 


nOME-CORRF,  SPONDENCE.  123 

amazing  thought  I  The  Lord  bless-  you  abundantly 
in  your  own  soul  and  in  your  woi'k  of  foitli  and 
labour  of  love  to  others,  till  He  takes  you  that  He 
may  be  glorified  in  you  for  ever  and  ever !  So  praya 
your  sister  in  Ilim, 

"  Adelaide  L.  Newton. 
*'  I  have  a  very  good  hope  of  poor  M.  W.     '  Bo 
not  faithless,  but  believing.'      '  lie  -willcth  not  the 
death  of  a  sinner.' " 

And  to  another  of  them,  she  writes : 

"Shrublaxds,  D.c.  2,  1848. 
"  My  Dearest  G , 

"  I  was  so  thankful  to  get  your  note  the  other  day : 
I  have  beeu  longing  to  write  again.  If  anything 
connected  with  myself  could  have  been  moi'c  truly 
refreshing  to  a  sometimes  weary,  faint-hearted  pilgrim 
than  another,  it  was  the  tidings  of  God's  having 
owned  and  accepted  one  of  my  tiny  tracts.  May  I 
have  grace  to  render  Him  the  glory  due  unto  His 
name,  remembering  that  I  am  but  the  earthen  vessel 
which  contains  what  He  puts  in  and  sends  forth 
through  me  of  His  own  life-giving  Spirit ! 

"I  cannot  tell  you  how  thankful  I  am,  too,  for 
you.  You  may  not  be  enjoying  the  happiest  frames 
of  mind,  but  you  are  indeed  a  vessel  hung  upon  the 
nail  in  a  sure  place.  You  cling  to  Him  even  the 
more  because  you  find  rest  nowhere  else — not  even 
in  His  work  in  you.  You  are  like  the  Bride  in 
Canticles,  crying  out,  'None  but  Christ — none  but 
Christ.'     The  vorv  threshold  of  His  house  is  a  deligh* 


124  M  K  M  0  I  R     OK     A  .     L .     N  K  W  T  O  N  . 

to  your  pantino-  soul,  and  you  love  to  tread  Ilis  courts. 

Ah  !  dearest  G ,  these  are  sure,  veiy  sure  pledges ; 

they  are  actual  earnests  and  foretastes  of  a  delight  as 
far  exceeding  what  you  now  feel  as  the  heavenly 
sanctuary,  the  house  not  made  with  hands,  shall  ex- 
ceed the  glory  of  His  earthly  courts. 

"  This  longing  after  Him  sometimes  seems  to  me 
eveu  more  blessed  in  reality  (though  less  enjoyable 
at  the  time)  than  the  enjoyment  of  Him.  What  do 
you  think  ?  I  have  felt  it  so  exceedingly  strong  at 
night  lately  having  had  a  long  succession  of  veiy 
sleepless  nights,  an  intense  longing  to  know  God, 
which  nothing  seems  to  satisfy.  Believing  '  that  He 
is'  does  not  seem  half  enough  ;  I  want  more,  and  yet 
I  don't  know  what.  I  dare  say  it  is  longing  after 
what  I  must  die  to  know.  And  I  don't  feel  as  if  this 
were  Avrong,  though  I  more  and. more  believe  that 
wishing  to  die  is  wrong.  It  is  a  child  fancying  it 
knows  better  what  would  promote  its  happiness  and 
.  welfare  than  its  parent !  But  Ave  must  learn  our  les- 
i  sens  in  God's  way  of  them.  We  cannot  teach  one 
another,  though  Pie  often  uses  us  as  the  instruments 
of  His;  teaching. 

"  JUit  I  see  eveiy  day  that  telling  other  peiii)le  ■«  hat 
I  have  learnt  is  useless,  unless  God  is  telling  them 
what  He  means  them  to  hear  through  me  :  so  that, 
after  all,  secretly  asking  His  blessing  is  the  secret  of 
everything. 

"  I  greatly  enjoyed  some  hours  at  M last  Sat- 
urday.     seemed  fuller  of  heaven  than  ever.    We 

both  ta1ke<I  and  seemed  to  feel  we  were  here  as  pil- 


HOME-CO  URESPOX  DEN  CE.  126 

grims,  and  cnjoyiug  a  little  intercourse  by  the  way; 
whilst  it  did  really  feel  like  ■\vay-side  talk,  and  noth- 
ing more.     God  is  teaching  me  to  do  without , 

even  here ;  and  I  feel  that  it  is  to  make  me  rest  on 
'  unseen'  things  and  not  seen. 

"  I  am  glad  you  got  occasional  talks  with . 

Her  very  disagreeableness  to  me  by  nature  made  our 
love  to  Jesus  more  manifestly  the  only  tie  that  bound 
us  together  :  it  gave  a  reality  to  the  fiiendship,  which 
I  liked.  How  mysterious  the  simplicity  of  faith  is ! 
and  how  immense  the  privileges  it  opens  to  us! 
Literally  everything  that  Christ  is  and  has,  because 
we  are  literally  jnade  to  belong  to  Him — to  be  part 

of   Him !      Dear  G ,    what   more   can    I   say  ? 

The    thoughts   are   too   vast,    too   immense,    to   be 
grasped  by  my  poor  finite  mind.      May  the  Spirit, 
in  teaching  the  dgep  things  of  God,  reveal  them  to 
us  as  we  are  able  to  besir  it  from  day  to  day.     So ' 
prays  your  fond 

"Addy." 

And  again,  on  Dec.  28  :  "What  a  word  that  is  in 
Luke  xii.  12,  'It  is  not  you  that  speak,  but  the  Holy 
Ghost !'  This  is  very  sweet,  indeed,  in  connexion 
with  John  iii.  34,  'For  God  g-iveth  not  the  S])irit  by 
measure.'  So  that  everything  depends  on  tlie  in- 
dwelling, and  on  the  measure  of  this  indwelling,  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  us.  'Be  filled  with  the  Spirit:'— 
is  not  that  a  nice  New-ye:.r's-<]ay  text?  And  with 
it,  for  our  comfort  in  every  feeling  of  coldness  and 
deadness  and  lukewarmnoss — 'It  is  the  Spiiit  that 
11* 


126  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

quickeuetli.'  lie  quiekcneth  us,  ami  quickeneth 
others  through  us.     May  God  abundantly  bless  all 

your  seed  sown,  dearest  N ,   and   give    you  a 

harvest  of  many  sheaves  !" 

And  to  the  other  sister,  of  same  date :  "  I  am 
sorely  tried  :  you  don't  know  what  it  costs  me  some- 
times. I  am  positively  amazed  at  that  power  of  God 
which  carries  me  through  it  all.  It  calms  me  to  that 
degree  that  I  cannot  be  agitated,  if  I  may  use  such 
an  expression.  Oh  !  it  is  wonderful !  it  is  so  real — 
so  divine  !  Let  me  send  you  Phil.  iii.  7 — 14  ;  it  is 
what  we  feel,  especially  as  we  begin  to  come  under 
the  near  influence  of  a  ray  of  light  from  the  heavenly 
city.  Then,  indeed,  may  all  things  else  be  counted 
as  loss  and  as  dung,  as  the  beautiful  lines  of  a  hymn 
say— 

"  '  All  things,  beside,  which  charm  the  sight, 
Are  shadows  tipt  with  glow-worm  light.' 

B.  sends  those  four  words  in  Ex.  iii.  7,  'I  know  their 
sorrows.'  I  will  add  Phil.  iv.  19,  'Even  His  riches  in 
glory  by  Christ  Jesus.'  " 

A  snare  to  which  her  peculiar  habit  of  mind  ex- 
posed her,  was  a  tendency  to  occupy  her  thoughts 
unduly  with  the  mysterious  side  of  God's  procediiie. 
Her  searching  intellect  was  ever  sounding  doj)ths 
which  it  is  not  given  to  man  to  fathom;  and  the  pain 
of  failure  was  at  times  almost  overwhelming.  "To 
own  the  truth  to  you,"  she  WTites  on  Jan.  19  (1849), 
"I  have  been  trying  lately  rather  to  lay  aside  all  diffi- 
cult subjects  in  Scripture-study,  from  the  conviction 


CHRIST,     NOT     SBLF.  127 

that  T  was  stiidyinir  them  intellectually  i-athor  than 
spiritually.  Perhaps,  it  is  a  danger  few  are  so  much 
exposed  to  ;  but,  having-  so  much  time  to  spend  men- 
tally, I  am  in  great  danger,  I  am  sure,  of  falling  into 
this  snare.  And  though  I  feel  that  this  may  be  given 
to  me  as  a  time  for  laying  up  knowledge  which  may 
hereafter  be  called  into  practical  use,  I  still  think  and 
feel  that  'knowledge  puffeth  up,'  while  '  charity'  alone 
*  edifieth.'  God  has  been  very  good  to  me  in  calling 
forth  my  energies  in  many  practical  ways  lately, 
which,  though,  less  pleasant  to  my  nature,  I  am  sure 
has  been  necessary  for  me." 

"  If  a  man  is  to  find  life,"  says  Vinet  again,  "  he 
must  find  it  elsewhere  than  in  a  deceitful  and  sterile 
view  of  himself.  A  look,  a  simple  look  (I  mean  not 
an  argument,  a  study,  a  toil) — a  simple  look  con- 
verts." And  the  same  look  daily  renewed,  renews 
the  heart's  brave  purpose.  "If  you  will  allow  me 
for  once  to  say  what  I  think,"  she  writes  on  Feb.  2 
(1849),  to  one  who  was  "distressing  herself  about 
her  hardness  of  heart,"  "  you  will  find  the  greatest 
possible  help  in  studyhig  the  character  of  Christ, 
not  your  own.  Read  the  Gospels,  to  trace  out — in 
every  miracle,  and  word,  and  act,  and  touch,  and  in 
every  step  of  the  path  He  trod — what  was  His  cha- 
racter, and  how  it  developed  itself;  and  I  think,  with 
the  Spirit's  help,  you  will  forget  your  walk  in  think- 
ing of  His,  and  your  emptiness  in  His  fulness ;  and 
thus,  by  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the 
Lord,  you  will  be  changed  into  the  same  image,  from 
glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Lord  the  Spirit.     I  do 


128  M  E  M  O  I  K     OK     A  .     1. .     N  K  W  TON. 

thiuk  that  Satan  hinders  Chiistiaus  more' by  dis- 
couraoin<r  them  with  showino;  them  their  perfK^tual 
shortcomings  and  failures,  and  their  sad  want  of  con- 
formity to  Jesus,  with  all  its  sad  results,  than  in  any 
oUier  way ;  and  I  cannot  help  feeling  strongly  that, 
in  urging  self-examination  in  the  way  so  many  good 
clergymen  do,  they  really  aid  the  mischief.  I  like 
what  M'Cheyne  said,  'For  every  look  at  yourself, 
take  ten  looks  at  Christ ;'  only  I  would  double  and 
treble  it,  and  almost  say,  Never  look  at  self  at  all." 

And  the  intense  "looker"  is  the  earnest  worker. 
"  Looking,"  says  Vinet,  "  alone  can  give  to  action, 
not  that  feverish  vivacity  which  our  passions  will 
always  give  in  abundance,  but  that  beauty  which 
passion  can  never  give."  And  Adelaide  writes  :  "  I 
believe  that  it  is  when  we  are  most  occupied  with 
Christ  that  we  are  most  useful  to  others,  however 
unconscious  we  may  be  of  it,  and  however  conscious 
we  may  then  be  (as,  of  course,  we  shall  be  more  than 
ever)  of  our  unlikeness  to  Ilim.  Did  you  ever  notice 
this  in  Canticles?  It  was  when  the  Bride  was 
pining  after  Christ  and  not  realizing  the  happy  sense 
of  His  piesence  (chap.  v.  9),  that,  in  telling  what 
she  was  in  search  of,  she  regained  her  own  happiness, 
and  excited  in  others  the  desire  to  seek  Ilim  too. 
(Chap.  V.  10-16;  and  vi.  1.)  This  is  most  encourag- 
ing to  me." 

And  she  adds  :  "  Oh !  I  love  io  see  how  God  la 
using  you,  dear  L ,  iiiid  how  your  'faith  is  work- 
ing by  love.'  Ihiw  unspeidiably  good  He  is  to  us,  to 
give  us  hearts  willing  fo  'o?cnpy'  for  Him  while  He 


THE     TALENTS.  ]  29 

is  away  !  Will  it  not  be  deliglitful,wlien  lie  cornea 
again  to  Lave  so  traded  with  our  '  talents,'  that  we 
can  point  to  one  and  another  who  heard  of  Him 
through  us,  and  cast  our  crowns  (richly  set  with 
many  jewels)  before  His  feet,  to  whom  we  shall 
glory  in  yielding  up  all  the  glory  we  have  gained  ?" 
As  the  spring  came  on,  her  health  again  was 
shaken.  "  Yesterday,"  she  writes,  on  February  2, 
(1849),  "I  really  could  do  nothing,  having  been 
awake  almost  the  whole  night  through,  hearing  every 
hour  strike,  except  from  two  till  four,  and  being  quite 
done  up.  I  am  quite  surprised  my  cough  could 
have  got  so  bad  so  soon.  But  enough  of  '  things 
seen  and  temporal,'  '  passing  away  !'  Oh  !  for  a 
mind  to  dwell  only  on  eternal  realities!  I  so  often 
think  of  that  line, 

"  '  The  strong  He  '11  strongly  try.' 

What  a  comfort,  that  He  who  tries  us  is  He  who 
knows   our    strength !       I    was   so  pleased   with    a 

thought  of 's  the  other  day,  that  God  sends  His 

children  many  a  storm  to  dash  them  on  the  Rock, 
that  they  may  find  out  its  firmness,  security,  and 
elevation." 

We  may  be  occupied  about  God,  and  not  be  occu- 
pied with  God.  Watching  against  this  peril,  Ade- 
laide writes,  on   February  21:    "I  am  doing  texts 

i'or ,  on  the  love  of  God^  but  I  am  in   such 

danger  of  doing  it  all  intellect-^ally,  that  I  often  feel 
afraid  to  go  on.  Do  you  ever  feel  it  ?  It  seems  so 
easy  to  like  to  be  occupied  with  religious  things,  and 


130  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NE-WTON. 

to  follow  out  a  train  of  thought  on  these  wonderful 
subjects,  and  yet  not  to  get  nearer  Jesus  by  it,  '  A 
broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not 
despise,'  has  been  my  text  lately ;  and  my  uppermost 
desire  has  been,  to  be  able  to  feel  like  a  child  coming 
to  its  father,  as  in  Gal.  iv.  6,  7.  Is  it  not  amazing 
to  have  '  the  Spirit  of  His  Son'  in  our  hearts  ?  Oh, 
how  holy  we  ought  to  be,  and  how  Christ-like  in 
all  tilings — the  life  which  acts  in  us  being  God's  own 
Spirit  moving  about  these  earthen  vessels  to  do  His 
work  !•' 

Payson  once  wrote  to  a  friend  thus  •  "  A  man  now 
fills  the  throne  of  heaven.  And  who  is  this  man  ? 
Mark  it  well — it  is  a  man  who  is  not  ashamed  to  call 
you  '  brother,'  You  may  not  now  know  what  He  is 
doing  with  you ;  but  you  shall  know  hereafter — you 
shall  see  the  reason  of  all  the  trials  and  temptations, 
the  dark  and  comfortless  hours,  the  long  and  tedious 
conflicts — and  you  will  be  convinced  that  not  a  sigh, 
not  a  tear,  not  a  single  uneasy  thought,  was  allotted 
to  you  without  a  wise  and  gracious  design."  Payson 
had  learned  this  lesson,  not  out  of  looks  or  from  the 
lips  of  men,  but  through  the  things  which  he  him- 
Belf  had  suffered.  And  Adelaide  Newton  was  learn- 
ing the  same  lesson  by  the  same  personal  discipline. 
"  However  my  wishes  and  feelings,"  she  says,  "  may 
vary  with  the  fluctuations  of  bodily  disease,  m.y  chief 
and  highest  desire  is,  that  He  should  have  His  own 
way  with  me — prolonging  life,  or  snapping  it  asun- 
der, or  doing  what  shall  most  promote  His  glory,  in 
whatever  way  He  ploasos,  in  His  soverign  wisdom 


PERFECT    "WORK     OF     GOD.  131 


and  love.     '  Oh,  for  a  deeper  entrance,'  dear  M- 


'  into  His  heart  of  love  !'  as  a  very,  very  dear  young 
friend,  at  this  moment  dangerously  ill  upstairs,  said 
to  me  lately.  God  has  been  doing  it  all  ;  and,  try- 
ing as  I  own  I  have  felt  it,  I  would  not  have  one 
link  in  the  chain  broken," 

"  It  has  been  such  a  strong  feeling  with  me  lately,'' 
she  continues,  "  when  thinking  very  much  of  the 
sorrows  of  others  and  wishing  sometimes  the  removal 
of  their  trials,  that  we  little  think  what  we  are  doing 
when  we  begin  to  wish  to  have  anything  changed  in 
any  degree  from  what  it  is.  How  we  should  mar 
the  perfect  work  and  plans  of  God  if  we  hindered 
one  thing  from  happening  at  the  precise  time  and 
in  the  particular  way  in  which  God  hath  purposed 
it !  and  how,  as  partakers  of  the  mind  of  Christ 
through  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit,  we  should 
slirink  from  the  very  idea  of  a  flaw  in  God's  works  ! 
Yet  don't  you  think  our  rebellious  feelings,  when 
He  crosses  our  inclinations,  all  tend  to  this  in 
reality  ?" 

And  she  adds  :  "  These  few  hints  of  what  is  pass- 
ing in  my  mind  will  tell  you  how  to  pray  for  me  ; 
and  that  is  what  I  care  for  above  everything  else. 
Desires  of  the  heart,  and  inward  groanings  of  the 
sjjirit,  and  weariness  of  sin,  and  pantings  after  holi- 
ness— are  all  open  to  the  eye  of  Him  who  dwells  in 
His  upper  sanctuary,  but  hears  'the  groanings  of 
the  prisoner.'  How  full  of  comfort  to  know  that 
luuftered  desires  and  groans  are  heard  !  Plead  mv 
cause  at  the  very  highest  of  all  courts,  because  yon 


132  MEMOIR     OK     A.     L.     NKWTON. 

are  one  who  has  '  access  to  the  holiest  by  the  blood 
of  Jesus.'  Oh,  may  you  have  sweet  communings 
with  Him,  when  you  take  up  my  cause  for  Him  to 
plead  with  His  Father !  I  hope  you  enjoy  sweet 
fellowship  with  Him.  We  shall  uninterruptedly 
liereafter." 

The  "  very  dear  young  friend  upstairs,"  alluded  to 
above,  was  soon  afterwards  taken.     "  The  death  of 

dear  B C hist  night,"  she  writes,  on  March 

1  (1849),  "has  so  pre-occupied  my  mind,  tliat  I 
scarcely  feel  able  to  turn  it  back  to  other  thoughts 
again.  A  more  perfectly  peaceful  '  falling  asleep  in 
Jesus'  could  hardly  be;  and  all  the  circumstances 
attending  it  have  been  so  full  of  love,  that  even  poor 

's  first  words  were, '  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul ; 

and  all   that  is  within  me,  bless  His  holy  name  !' 

Dr. 's  kindness,  too,  has  been  so  great ;  and  his 

way  of  directing  one's  mind  to  look  entirely  beyond 
all  that  which  is  painful  to  the  realities  of  unseen 
things,  has  seemed  altogether  to  make  it  (I  might 
almost  say)  only  a  fresh  instance  of  displaying  to  us 
what  Cod  is." 

And  to  another,  two  days  later  :  "  Instead  of  griev- 
ing over   dear  B 's  death,  I   feel  most  deeply 

thankful  to  have  witnessed  it,  and  to  have  had  such 
a  proof  of  the  reality  of  ray  religion.  Oh,  it  is  such 
a  real  thing  to  be  trusting  in  Christ,  and  to  feel  that 
we  are  alive  in  Him,  not  in  our  own  bodies,  which 

are  mortal !     Dear ,  too,  is  so  supported  by  the 

same  reality ;  it  is  falling  back  upon  God,  the  Hvini.; 
God — is  it  not  ?     But  my  thoughts  are  too  large  tci 


CHRIST     A     FOUNTAIN     OF     LIFE.        133 

express  on  paper,  or  even  in  words.  I  seem  quite 
lost  in  such  immensity." 

Henry  Martyn,  in  a  season  of  sore  trial,  wrote  in 
his  diary  this  entry  :  "  My  dear  Redeemer  is  a  foun- 
tain of  life  to  my  soul.  With  resi^ation  and  peace 
can  I  look  forward  to  a  life  of  labour  and  entire 
seclusion  from  earthly  comforts,  while  Jesus  thus 
stands  near  me,  changing  me  into  His  own  image." 
Adelaide  Newton  was  realizing,  amidst  her  increas- 
ing trials,  the  joy  of  the  same  fellowship.  "  It  is  so 
strange,"  she  writes  to  a  friend,  on  March  8,  "to 
contrast  the  scenes  of  gaiety  and  of  sorrow  this 
world  is  so  full  of:  if  you  had  all  been  at  the  con- 
cert, we  wore  in  the  midst  of  death  !     And  yet, 

"  'Although  the  world  may  think  it  strange,' 

most  truly  could  we  have  affirmed, 

"  '  "We  would  not  with  the  world  exchange.' 

I  have  so  exceedingly  enjoyed  of  late  Gal.  iv.  5-7. 
The  thought  of  our  having  the  Spirit  of  Jesus,  as  ( 
the  Spirit  of  Lire  which  actuates  us,  seems  so  won-( 
derful !     I  like  so  very  naich  to  think  of  the  Spirit  ' 
as  the  breath  of  Christ's  body — that  very  body  of 
which  He  is  the  Head  and  we  are  the  members  ! 

Tell how  very  thankful  I  am  that  he  should  be 

at  work  in  the  Lord's  vineyard.  He  won't  under- 
stand Solomon's  Song,  viii.  8,  or  I  would  add,  '  Those 
that  keep  the  fruit  must  have  two  hundred.'     You 

can  take  it,  thongh,  for  yoiirself ;  and   so  can . 

How  God  is  making  you  both  'grow  up  into  Christ.' 
12 


134  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON, 

And  we  can  bless  Him  for  the  clouds  which  break 
in  showers  to  water  our  thirsty  souls." 

It  is  recorded  of  the  martyr  Ridley,  that  on  earth 
he  lived  so  near  heaven,  that,  when  he  died,  he  had 
not  far  to  go.  Dear  Adelaide  seemed  in  spirit  to  be 
drawing  nearer  and  nearer  her  home.  "  Happy  girl, 
to  be  gone  before !"  she  writes,  on  March  12  (1849), 
alluding  to  the  death  of  B ,  "  younger  than  my- 
self by  soipe  months,  and  younger,  I  should  think, 
too,  in  spiritual  life,  and  yet  more  matured  and  more 
ripe  for  glory !  But  I  can  use  the  language  of  the 
Great  Forerunner,  and  say,  'Yet  a  little  while,'  and 
we  shall  see  each  other,  because  I,  too,  '  go  to  the 
Father.'  Anything  so  intense  as  the  longings  I  have 
telt  lately  to  see  Ilim  an-d  be  '  satisfied  with  His  like- 
ness,' I  have  scarcely  believed  could  be  anything  but 
the  desire  put  into  my  heart  for  what  God  was 
intending  to' give." 

Christ's  PERSON  was  more  and  more  realized  by 
her  as  th«  centre  of  all  her  hopes  and  joys.  "  The 
object  of  Christianity,"  says  Vinet,  "is  not  an  ab- 
stract truth.  It  is  a  fact,  a  person,  Jesus  Christ, 
Jesus  Christ  crucified.  We  believe  not  in  Christian- 
ity, but  in  Jesus  Christ.  Every  Christian  act  done 
in  the  world,  is  done,  not  by  Christianity  (which  is 
itself  only  an  effect),  but  by  Jesus  Christ.  The  rela- 
tions which  we  bear  as  Christians  are  not  intellectual 
relations — relations  between  our  mind  and  a  truth, 
but  relations  between  person  and  person — relations 
between  us  men  and  Jesus  Christ,  both  man  and 
God,      The  object  of  our  faith  is  invisible,  but  not 


THE     DEALINGS     OF     GOU.  135 

impersonal.  He  is  not  seen  with  the  eye  of  flesh, 
but  nevertheless  He  is  seen.  We  do  not  conveise 
with  Him  as  with  an  itiea — that  is  to  say,  in  sub- 
stance with  ourselves,  but  as  with  a  Being  who  is 
with  us  even  to  the  end  of  the  world."  Dear  Ade- 
laide found  this  reality  to  be  daily  growing  more  real. 
"I  don't  know  whether  others  feel  it,"  she  writes, 
'"but  it  seems  to  me  that  we  so  little  realize  the 
Person  of  the  Saviour.  We  think  and  talk  of  doc- 
trines, but  they  are  not  Christ.  Oh,  what  a  wonder- 
ful depth  there  is  in  those  three  words — 'Thou  ik 
me' — the  Father  embodied  in  the  Son!  And  then, 
to  add  to  this,  the  taking  of  ms  into  union — into  one- 
ness— with  both  !     Oh  !  is  it  not  amazing  ?" 

And,  Avriting,  on  March  15,  to  one  who,  like  her- 
self, was  sorely  tried,  she  says:  "How  marvellous 
the  dealings  of  God  are !  How  He  brings  us  at 
times  into  the  depths,  that  we  may  know  by  experi- 
ence that  He  is  the  high  and  lofty  One  !     '  The  rock 

that  is  higher  than  I.'     CJ said  your-  thoughts 

were  too  high  and  too  large  for  others  to  understand. 
It  is  quite  remarkable  how  exactly  I  have  been 
feeling  the  same  thing  lately ;  but  I  have  thought  it 
has  perhaps  been  in  answer  to  the  cry  whicli  has 
been  so  uppermost  with  me,  ever  since  Christmas,  for 
'a  broken  and  a  contrite  spirit.'  I  cannot  tell  you 
how  low  I  seem  to  have  been  brought;  but  last 
night  I  was  exceedingly  comforted  by  Ps.  Ixxiii. 
21-23.  The  'nevertheless'  there  seemed  so  very, 
very  precious,  in  spite  of  all  our  ignorance ;  and  1 
vas  so  pleased  to  find  the  pricking  at  the  heart  so 


136  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     I. .     X  K  W  T  O  N  . 

exactly  expressed.  How  well  God  knew  every 
thought  and  feeling  which  could  ever  oppress  us, 
when  lie  caused  that  precious  Book  of  Inspiration 
to  be  written  for  our  comfort !  Does  not  Ps,  cxxxix. 
6  also  express  what  you  feel  ? — and  don't  you  like 
Matt.  xi.  25,  'Revealed  unto  babes?'  J  am  writing 
quite  at  random,  not  knowing  whether  such  thoughts 
may  at  all  fall  in  with  yours  ;  but,  at  all  events,  we 
must  have  one  meeting-place,  and  that  is,  the  Person 
of  our  adorable  Redeemer !  Oh,  to  be  able  to  have 
our  eye  fixed  on  Him  !" 

A  month  later,  slie  writes  to  one  of  her  sisters 
thus: 

"Torquay,  April  19,  1849. 
"  My  Dearest  N" , 

"  I  am  so  glad  to-day  to  be  able  to  send  you  a 
line.  I  hope  you  have  not  thought  nn-  unkind,  for 
I  really  have  not  felt  able  to  write.  I  have  been 
passing  through  very  real  trial  lately,  and  very  pain- 
fid — learning  so  keenly  the  bitterness  of  creature-dis- 
appointment ;  and  yet,  if  I  will  lean  on  idols,  what 
else  can  I  expect  ?  Rather,  let  me  tell  you  what  1 
really  do  feel  to  be  ground  for  thankfulness :  that 
God  has  made  me  feel  quite  thankful  to  learn  my 
folly  and  to  be  disappointed  in  the  midst  of  what 
must,  Avithout  His  teaching  and  His  restraining  grace, 
have  filled  me  with  bitter  complaing.  I  will  tell  you 
more  a'uout  it  (u.v.)  when  we  meet. 

"  These  wilderness-lessons  are  sweet,  amidst  all 
their  bitterness,  when  they  show  us  that  we  are 
thereby  made   to   ronT^   up   out   of   the   wilderness, 


BARREN     AND     WITHERED.  137 

leaning  more  and  more  exclusively  on  our  Beloved. 
To  our  shame  be  it  spoken,  that  avc  should  slight  His 
all-sufficiency  by  leaning  at  any  time  on  any  other 
arm.     O  !  how  we  do  dishonour  Jesus  ! 

"  I  like  '  Tekel'  very  much,  and  bought  two  copies. 
How  sweetly  it  shows  us  how  '  bold  we  may  stand  in 
the  great  day'  with  Jesus  on  our  side  ! 

"  I  hope  you  liave  not  been  much  bored  with . 

I  think  it  is  so  difficult  to  be  unselfish  in  religion, 
and  to  be  willing  to  speak  and  act  for  God  in  the  way 
and  with  the  people  He  chooses,  and  not  ourselves. 
O!  may  we  be  guided  rightly  in  all  we  think,  say, 
or  do ! 

"  Make  yourself  quite  happy  about  old ;  it  is 

our  privilege  to  pray  for  him  (Matt.  x.  42).     I  am 

sure  I  ought  to  feel  this ;  for says,  in  a  letter  I 

had  lately  from  him,  that  he  thanks  me  for  sending 
such  cups  of  water  to  his  thirsty  soul,  in  the  tiny 
notes  I  have  written  him :  so  God,  indeed,  chooses 
weak  and  base  things,  that  the  excellency  may  all  be 
His!  I  thiidv  the  time  is  very  short.  O!  to  be  kept 
blameless  till  we  see  Him  come  ! 

"  Yours  in  Him,  A.  L.  N." 

And  again,  on  having  been  at  the  Lord's  fable : 
*'  Only  think  of  my  having  been  down,  this  morning, 
to  Trinity,  for  the  early  Sacrament  (of  course,  with- 
out leave)  !  I  have  really  felt  lately  so  '  barren  and 
withered'  a  branch  of  the  Vine,  that  I  resolved,  if 
God  threw  no  obstacles  in  my  way  to  show  me  I  was 
wrong,  I  would  foi'  once  rush  into  His  courts  and 
12* 


188  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

get  at  least  a  (^nrapse  of  Jesus  through  the  lattice- 
work of  the  ordinances  ;  and  I  hope  I  did,  in  spite  of 
all  the  bodily  feeling-s  which  sadly  hindered  the  np 
ward  flight  of  the  Spirit  after  a  risen  Jesus,  which  I 
ardently  longed  for.     O  !  when  shall  we  rise  too  ? 

"  Both  the  last  times  I  have  shared  this  sacred 
feast,  it  was  chiefly  the  connecting  the  outward  signs 
of  the  bread  and  wine  with  the  absolute  reality  of 
the  things  signified  being  now  in  glory,  which  oc 
cupied  and  comforted  me  :  Jesus  clothed  in  that  very 
body  and  blood  still.  It  leads  one's  thoughts  to  Him. 
My  Good-Friday  text  struck  me  very  much  in  the 
same  way — '  Who  Ilis  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  His 
own  body.'  How  strong  the  words  are — are  they 
not  ?  And  then  to  think  that  we  are  the  members 
which  form  that  body  (in  another  sense),  adds  another 
wonderful  thought  too." 

Another  thought,  suggested  by  the  same  occasion, 
she  givMS  elsewhere:  "This  do  in  remembrance 
of  me.'  There  is  a  volume  -of  thought  suggested 
by  the  extreme  simplicity  of  those  vtovtU — '  Re- 
member me.'  'Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet, 
that  it  is  I  myself;  handle  me  and  see,'  were  the 
words  of  Jesus  while  still  on  earth.  Now,  he  says, 
♦Do  this'  {i.e.,  eat  the  bread  and  drink  the  wine; 
which  are  the  outward  signs  of  the  body  and  blood 
of  Christ)  '  in  remembrance  of  mc'  Don't  forget  my 
Body;  remember  it  still,  all  the  whilo  I  am  away, 
till  I  come  nguinl  Where,  then,  is  the  body  of 
Jesus  now  ?  Thither  let  the  eye  of  faith  be  turned, 
whilst  feeding  on  these  outward  remembrancers  of 


LOVEST    THOU     ME.  139 

it.  Think  not  ouly  how  Jesus  has  once  died,  but, 
'rather,'  how  He  now  lives!  It  is  Jesus 'as  He  is, 
that  He  bids  us  remember,  to  our  great  and  endless 
comfort.'' 

Her  sojourn  in  Torquay  was  now  drawing  to  a 
close.  "I  am  glad,"  we  find  her  writing,  in  refe- 
rence to  her  intended  departure,  "  to  solve  every 
difficulty  arid  bury  every  anxiety  in  the  certain  as- 
surance that  I  am  best  wherever  God  sends  me.  I 
mean  to  waste  no  more  time  over  the  body,  further 

than   simply   to   tell   you   that  Dr. expressed 

thankfulness  and  surprise  that  my  illness  had  made 
60  little  progress.  I  am  often  very  thankful  that  it 
is  such  slow  work  m  my  case;  for  I  am  certain  I 
shall  be,  with  God's  blessing,  an  eternal  gainer.  I 
begin  to  feel  it  sweet  to  have  even  life  to  oiler  and 
devote  to  Him,  though  I  hope  I  shall  never  be  un- 
willing to  lay  dow  u  a  body  of  sin.  To  depart  and 
be  with  Christ  nmst  always  be  '  far  better.'  Thank 
you,  a  thousand  times,  for  the  paper  on  John  xx. 
and  xxi. ;  it  was  peculiaily  a  word  in  season.  Truly, 
a  risen  Jesug  would  not  have  us  selfishly  seek- 
ing the  enjoyment  even  of  His  own  society,  so  much 
as  to  be  proving  the  reality  of  our  love  in  real 
devotodness  to  Him.  What  a  test  it  was  to  Peter, 
when  '  Lovest  thou  me  V  was  followed  up  by 
'Feed  my  sheep' — not  by  'Come  and  lay  down 
your  life,  that  you  may  be  with  me.'  I  think  this 
is  very,  very  strong,  when  we  remember  how  shortly 
before  Peter  was  wishing  to  die  that  He  might  fol- 
low Jesus." 


140  MEMOIK     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

And  she  adds :  "  I  meant  to  indulge  in  sendini,' 
you  some  of  the  tlioughts  I  have  been  greatly  enjoy- 
ing to-day  on  the  Transfiguration,  but  I  must  not 
send  more  than  one.  Did  it  ever  strike  you  ?  Peter 
desired  prolonged  intercourse  with  Moses  and  Elias  ; 
but  '  a  cloud  overshadowed  them'  (put  them  into  the 
shade),  and  a  voice  out  of  it  said,  '  Hear  Him,'  to 
make  Jesus  the  prominent  One  ;  and  they  then  found 
themselves  left  alone  with  Jesus  !" 

Looking  back  upon  the  way  by  which  she  had 
been  led  that  season,  she  writes,  April  19  (1849): 
"  I  have  been  thinking  so  much  lately  of  those  words 
'Count  it  all  joy  when  ye  fall  into  divers  trials,'  <fec. 
Mine  have  been  very  varied  this  winter ;  and  some- 
times the  variety  and  the  ]irolongation  of  them  seem 
to  induce  a  spirit  of  'heaviness.'  (1  Pel.  i.  G,  7.)  liut 
we  are  going  onward  through  the  wililci'ness  ;  jitnl  it 
is  a  grand  and  wonderful  thing  so  to  be  brought 
through  it  as  to  be  willing  to  be,  more  and  more, 
bereft  of  every  stay,  that  at  length  we  may  come  up 
out  of  it,  leaning  on  our  Beloved  alone  !  We  sliall 
be  very  anxious  for  further  tiding-s  of  your  dear 
brothers.  Don't  you  think  Grod  often  stirs  up  the 
prayers  of  His  people  for  any  one  particular  object 
of  His  mercy,  by  some  trouble  which  attracts  all  eyes 
to  centre  on  that  one  person  for  a  time  ?  I  believe 
this  is  often  the  secret  of  the  showers  of  bles-^ing 
which  follow  such  afflictive  dispensations.  May  it  be 
so  abundantly  in  this  instance  !  and,  if  it  be  His  holy 
will,  may  both  brothers  be  given  back  to  you,  even 
in  tliis  life,  as  Lazarus  was  to  his  sisters,  though,  afler 


A     RETROSPECT.  141 

all,  it  can  "be  but  for  a  season  !  I  am  sure  we  get  to 
feel,  more  and  more,  that  we  cannot  wish  or  ask  for 
any  such  things  unconditionally ;  but,  in  holy  sub- 
mission, it  is  our  privilt.'ge  to  breathe  out  every  wish 
into  our  Father's  car,  and  He  delights  to  answer,  and 
even  to  do  for  us  far  more  exceeding  abundantly  tiian 
ever  we  ask.'' 

She  left  Torquay  finally  in  May  (1849).  "A  de- 
lightsome land  it  had  proved  to  be,"  writes  her  sister, 
who  was  with  her ;  "  not  only  because  a  measure  of 
health  had  been  one  result  from  our  sojourn  in  it,  but, 

most  especially,  on  account  of  Dr. 's  spiritual 

watchfulness  over  his  beloved  patient.  His  commun- 
ings with  her  were  what  she  valued  above  everything 
else."  But  she  rejoiced  to  follow  the  Lord's  leading. 
"'He  fed  them,'  "  she  herself  Avrites,  indicating  to  a 
friend  where  her  feet  stood  so  firmly,  "  '  according  to 
the  integTity  of  His  heart,  and  guided  them  by  the 
skilfulness  of  His  hand.'  His  heart.  His  hands.  His 
integrity.  His  skilfulness  !  it  is  according  to  this 
measure  we  are  fed  and  guided.  'Fed' implies  the 
whole  pastoral  care  of  a  shepherd ;  and  all  this  care 
God  takes  of  us,  according  to  the  integrity  ov  perfect- 
ness  of  His  heart !  What  surer  provision  could  be 
made  for  us  ?" 


"Tho  Lord's  my  Shepherd,  I  '11  not  want ; 
lie  makes  me  down  to  lie 
In  pastures  green  ;  He  leadeth  me 
The  quiet  '7aters  hy. 


142  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

"  My  soul  He  doth  restore  again, 
And  me  to  walk  doth  make 
Within  the  paths  of  righteousness, 
Ev'n  for  His  own  name's  sake." 


CHAPTER    X. 

Adelaide  reacted  home  once  more  in  May  (1849), 
not  again  to  leave  it  until  she  should  reach  her  home 
in  the  heavens, 

lu  her  Diary  she  writes :  "  May  1 2.  '  Therefore, 
■with  joy  shall  ye  draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of  sal- 
vation.' How  precious  the  sources  of  our  joy  are  ! 
Not  summer  or  winter  streams,  but  wells  !  May 
we  not  say  of  Jesus — '  The  well  is  deep?'"  '■^  May 
15.  Greatly  enjoyed  Deut.  vii.  20,  as  an  answer  to 
the  prayer,  '  Cleanse  thou  me  from  secret  faults.'  ** 
'■'■May  16.  Thought  very  much  of  the  comfort  of 
knowing  that  God  accounts  our  litttle  span  of  life 
'  long-sutfering,'  and  that  He  should  so  appreciate 
our  difficulty  as  to  taking  it  joyfully,  as  to  apportion 
such  strength  for  the  need.  (Col.  i.  11.)"  '■'May  -19. 
'  Tarry  ye  here  and  watch.'  Lord,  grant  that  I  may 
act  thus,  whilst  thou  art  interceding  for  me  in  yonder 
heavens  within  the  veil !"  '■'■June  3.  Trinity  Sunday. 
'  Your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God  ;'  a  very  sweet 
Trinity  text,  connecting  the  thought  of  the  quicken- 
ing Spirit  with  our  '  life.'  " 

Elsewhere,  in  the  Diary,  she  writes :  "  Received 
the  Lord's  Supper,  to  offer  and  present  myself,  body 


144  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

soul,  and  spirit,  to  be  a  reasonable,  holy,  anil  lively 
sacrifice  to  Him  who  died  for  me  !"  And  again  : 
"  Bodily  exhaustion  seemed  to  hinder  spiritual  per- 
ception all  day ;  but  I  could  '  cling  to  Christ.' " 
And,  another  day :  "  Spent  the  whole  Sabbath  at 
home,  but  fed  upon  the  Word."  And  another : 
"Enjoyed  Rom.  viii.  34,  with  v.  10;  the  emphasis 
laid  on  the  resurrection  of  Ilim  who  is  our  life." 
And  another :  "  '  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy 
faith  fail  not.'  There  is  something  very  precious  in 
knowing  that  Christ  has  prayed  for  us,  even  before 
toe  know  our  danger." 

Her  letter-writing,  like  all  her  other  engagements, 
continued  to  be  consecrated  to  God.  "  I  always  feel 
the  interchange  of  Bible  thoughts,"  she  says,  on 
May  20  (1849),  indicating  her  method  of  serving  the 
Lord  in  this  employment,  "  a  kind  of  letter-writing, 
which  cannot  be  classed  as  waste  of  time  or  as  a 
frivolous  puisuit.  May  I  look  to  you  now  and  then, 
for  a  word  in  this  way,  to  help  me  on  'in  the  know- 
ledge of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  ?'  I  have  been  think- 
ing veiy  much  of  the  real  test  it  is  of  love  to  Jesus, 
when  the  enjoyment  of  Christian  friends,  meeting  to- 
gether to  talk  of  the  things  they  love  best,  is  broken 
up  that  each  may  be  sent  forth  as  a  messenger  to 
others,  to  tell  sinners  of  the  living  '  AVay.'  Jesus, 
after  His  resuri-ection,  tarried  not  to  indulge  the  fond 
afi'(;ctions  of  His  people,  but,  rather,  just  showed 
Himself  to  them,  and  then  sent  them  Ibrth  to  do  His 
bidding  :  For  example,  Mary — '  Touch  me  not,  but 
go  to  my  brethren,  and  tell    them,'  &c. ;  or,  the  dis- 


A     TEST.  i46 

ciples — '  As  my  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send 
I  you  ;'  or,  Peter — '  Feed  my  sheep.'  In  no  case  did 
Jesus  stay  to  converse  with  them  for  mutual  enjoy- 
ment, but  would  have  them  engaged  in  telling 

"  '  To  sinners  round, 
"What  a  dear  Saviour  they  had  found.' 

And,  hard  as  it  may  sometimes  be  to  tarry  here 
willingly,  even  for  such  a  purpose,  we  certainly  may 
well  be  content,  if  Jesus  gives  to  us  first,  and  then 
tells  us  to  distribute  to  the  multitude." 

With  a  rare  naivete,  we  find  her  indicating,  in  al 
lusion  to  a  friend's  intended  marriage,  a  characteristic 
feature  of  her  own  heart,  thus  (June  8,  1849):  "I 
hope  they  may  help  each  other  to  give  themselves 
first  unto  the  Lord  :  but  I  own  I  often  look  on  and 
wonder  and  adore,  when  I  think  of  the  way  by  which 
/  have  been  led ;  for,  had  I  had  a  husband  to  please, 
I  believe  I  should  just  have  plunged  into  love  in  that 
'  out  and  out'  way  which  would  have  made  the 
words,  '  She  that  is  married  careth  how  she  may 
jilease  her  husband,'  apply,  with  more  than  ordinary 
force  to  me.  I  know  that  my  heart  knits  so  closely 
to  those  I  dearly  love,  that  it  is  not  without  reason 
that  I  have  been  hindered  from  setting  my  affections 
on  an  earthly  object,  but  allowed  One,  in  human  form, 
on  whom  I  may  legitimately  indulge  in  centering  them 
all,  and  that,  too,  without  fear  of  disappointment!" 

And,  with  a  chastened  delicacy,  she  adds :  This 
natural  feature  in  my  character  betrays  itself  in  my 
pfonliar  love   for,  and   enjoyment   in   Canticles ;  for 


146  M  10  M  ()  I  R     OF     A  .     L  .     UK  W  T  O  N  . 

there  is,  perhaps,  no  character  in  which  I  so  love  to 
think  of  Jesus,  as  He  who  has  given  Himself  to  His 
Bride,  loving  her  even  more  than  she  can  love  Him, 
and  allowing  her  that  closest  of  all  kinds  of  inter- 
course which  else  could  not  have  been  known.  Is  it 
not  a  sad,  sad  proof  of  our  fallen  state,  that  the  very 
ordinance  which  God  appointed  to  shadow  forth  this 
is  so  often  the  one  which,  more  than  any  other, 
draws  oflF  our  hearts  from  Him  ?" 

Vinet  writes:  "How  difficult,  while  enjoying 
external  peace,  to  keep  awake !  What  exertion  is 
necessary  to  move  forward  on  a  sea  whose  waters 
have  been  rendered  heavy  as  lead  by  a  fatal  calm  !" 
Tasting  this  reality,  Adelaide  writes,  June  14  (1849)  : 
"  How  thankful  it  made  me  to  find  that  you  had 
got  the  peace  inwardly,  amidst  your  suSerings,  which 
I  got  so  exactly  in  the  same  way  !  I  never  was  so 
happy  before,  as  when  I  was  so  ill,  I  have  found 
even  my  partially  restored  health  bring  with  it  many 
new  and  painful  trials  and  conflicts,  and  could  some- 
times almost  prefer  the  bodily  pain.  But,  oh  !  if  we 
can  but  choose  nothing  for  ourselves,  and  calmly  ac- 
cept the  needed  discipline  in  the  form  and  under  the 
circumstances  (lod  chooses  tor  us,  happy  are  we  !" 

And  to  another,  on  June  23  :  "I  hope  you  will 
write  to  me  soon — though,  if  you  have  very  little 
time  to  spare  for  me,  I  would  sooner  ask  you  to  use 
it  in  inaycr.  I  do  so  want  quickening !  I  can  get 
plenty  of  ideas,  and  am  strong  enough  \o  study  and 
think  just  now  ;  but  is  it  not  woi-se  than  -lothing,  if 
one  finds  ]>leasurc  in  these  intellectual  enjoymenta, 


''knowing''    and    "fekding."       1-17 

short  of  Christ  ?  Are  you  able  to  got  into  real,  close 
communion  with  Him  at  present  ?  If  so,  do  take 
me  with  you  into  the  Holiest.  I  really  am  afraid  to 
induljj^e  my  pleasure  in  '  knowing,'  lest  it  interfere 
with  simple  'feeding.'  Still,  I  do  believe  God  is 
leading  me  onwards  and  upwards  in  His  own  way ; 
and  it  is  well  to  bo  humbled." 

In  the  same  letter,  she  adds :  "  I  am  a  good  deal 
stronger ;  but  I  fancy  my  chest  retrogrades,  from  & 
few  bad  symptoms.  But  they  may  be  only  tempo- 
rary.    /  don't  know.     May  I  only  ripen  for  glory  !" 

And,  on  June  26  (1849),  she  addresses  another 
friend  thus :  "  I  hope  you  are  enjoying  the  '  strong 
meat'  of  the  Word  :  this  is  one  of  the  precious  pii- 
■vnleges  belonging  to  those  who,  through  a  longer 
sojourn  in  Mesech,  'have  had  their  senses  exercised.' 
Is  not  that  a  strong  word?  I  am  so  fond  of  it  in 
Ileb.  xii.  11,  the  fruit  of  righteousness  being  one  of 
the  gains  to  be  reaped  from  being  exercised  by 
chastenings  !  '  Exercised  thereby.'  Oh  !  it  speaks 
volumes ;  it  tells  of  days,  and  weeks,  and  months, 
and  years,  it  may  be,  of  inward  conflict  and  outward 
trials,  exercising  us ;  and  not  in  vain,  for  the  peace- 
al)le  fruit  of  righteousness  shall  bo  reaped  in  due 
time.      So  let  us  comfort  one  another  with  these 

precious  words,  dear  M ,  counting  it  still  all  joy 

when  we  fall  into  divers  trials,  foj  the  trying  of  our 
faith  worketh  patience ;  and  when  patience  has  had 
her  perfect  work,  we  shall  be  '  vessels  unto  honour,' 
to  display  throughout  eternity  the  exceeding  riches  of 
the  grace  and  glory  ot  Him  who  wrought  it  nil  in  us! 


148  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON 

Miliicr,  in  liis  "  Clniivli  Ilistoiy,"  wiiles:  "To 
believe,  to  suft'cr,  and  to  love,  was  the  primitive 
taste."  Henry  Martyii,  in  his  Diary,  says,  that  "  no 
uninspired  sentence  ever  affected  him  so  much." 
Dear  Adelaide  was  growing  more  and  more  in  this 
"taste."  "I  can,  in  my  httle  measure,  sympathize 
and  weep  with  you,"  she  writes,  June  27.  "I  have 
been  so  struck  with  Ps.  xliii.  4,  that  I  must  toll  you 
about  it.  The  expression  which  we  render  '  God,  my 
exceeding  joy,'  is  in  the  Hebrew,  '  God,  the  joy  (or 
gladness)  of  my  joy'  (as  in  the  margin) ;  and  the 
two  Hebrew  words  have  each  their  own  specific 
meaning — one  signifying,  properly,  the  throbbing,  or 
quick  beating,  or  palpitating  of  the  heart  in  joy ; 
aii<l  the  other  being  a  word  of  gesture  (from  the 
root,  to  roll),  and  hence  meaning  a  'joy  which  ex- 
presses itself  in  the  gestures  of  the  body,  as  in 
leaping  or  jumping  up  and  down  for  joy.'  So  that 
the  two  together  seem  to  imply  the  being  pervaded 
tlnongh  and  through  with  joyousness,  from  the 
indwelling  of  that  God  Avho  is  Himself  'our  exceed- 
ing joy.'  One  can  hardly  find  words  to  put  such 
tlioughts  into,  I  think  Ps.  xvi.  11  beautifully  ex- 
|i(.sse.s  it,  '  In  Thy  presence  is  fulness  of  jo;:.'  And 
('.i  1  it  ever  strike  you  as  rather  remarkable,  that 
I")avid  should  have  used  that  expression  about  (iod, 
at  the  very  moment  that  he  was  complaining  of 
being  '  cast  down  ?'  It  seems  to  me  so  ci>uifortiiig  ; 
for  it  shows  what  our  real  portion  is  in  Him,  even 
when  we  feel  desolate,  and  cast  down,  and  disquieted, 
(iocs  it  not  ?" 


JOYOU8NESS.  149 

Her  trials  were  giving  lu-r  tliat  tender  sympathy 
h'ith  fellow-pilgrims,  whicli  mere  knowledge  cannot 
give.  "  It  seems  to  knit  my  heart  closer  than  ever 
to  vou,"  she  writes,  "  that  we  are  both  being  made 
to  feel  the  gentle  pressure  of  the  hand  in  which  we 
are  held.  There  are  trials  peculiar  to  illness,  espe- 
cially to  protracted  illness,  which  none  can  know  but 
fellow-sufferers  under  them."  And  to  another :  "  I 
do,  indeed,  feel  for  your  poor  sister.  Do  send  her 
this  text,  '  Strengthened  with  all  might,  according  to 
His  glorious  power,  unto  all  patience  and  longsuffer- 
ing  with  joyfulness.'  How  blessed  to  think  of  the 
end  to  which  we  are  strengthened  with  such  amazing 
might !  Not  to  do  some  great  deed,  or  accomplish 
some  mighty  act,  but  '  unto  all  patience.'  And  not 
only  to  the  mere  endurance  of  evils  which  we  can- 
not escape,  but  '  to  all  longsuffering  with  joyful- 
ness? " 

Ilor  health  this  summer  rather  revived.  "  I  dare- 
say G told  you,"  she  writes,  July  15,  "how  well 

I  am  just  now.  I  am  thankful,  because  it  enable* 
me  to  write  and  speak  for  Jesus ;  and  one  word  in  a 
letter  may  be  a  word  in  season.  To  be  vessels  of 
mercy  filled  with  the  Spirit,  so  as  to  speak  only  as 
lie  breathes  thiougli  us,  is  indeed  an  honour.  May 
we  both  richly  enjoy  it  during  whatever  time  we 
have  still  to  sojourn  here — be  it  years,  months,  or 
days !  And  then  to  be  vessels  of  glory  !  Oh  !  may 
we  not  well  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable,  in  prospect 
of  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us  ?  Rom. 
viii.  18,  with  Eph.  i.  1.7,  18." 


150  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

'Ihe  Christian  self-reproach  is  oftentimes  misun- 
derstood. 

Henry  Martyn,  for  example,  writes :  "  The  pride 
which  I  see  dwelling  in  my  heart,  producing  there 
the  most  obstinate  hardness,  I  can  truly  say  my  soul 
abhors.  I  see  it  to  be  unreasonable,  I  feel  it  to  be 
tormenting."  But,  almost  with  the  same  breath,  he 
adds :  "  I  wish  for  no  service  but  the  service  of  God, 
in  labouring  for  souls  on  earth,  and  to  do  His  will 
in  heaven."  Dwelling  more  "in  the  light,"  and  real- 
izing more  vividly  his  heavenly  calling,  he  is,  even 
whilst  progressing  in  holiness,  Avcighed  down  with  a 
growing  sense  of  the  unworthiness  of  his  walk." 

"I  do  feel  so  strongly,"  Adelaide  writes,  Aug. 
13  (1849),  "what  you  say  of  the  need  of  'being 
stirred  up  to  do  what  we  can;'  It  is  marvellous  we 
can  be  such  triflers  on  affairs  of  such  moment !  Do 
you  not  find  an  increasing  sense  of  calm  confidence, 
that  all  the  horrible  coldness,  deafness,  lifelessness, 
which  so  characterize  our  walk  with  God — while 
they  hinder  our  enjoyment — still  cannot  affect  our 
safety  ?  I  fancy  it  is  a  thing  only  to  be  learnt  by  ex- 
perience— and  for  this  good  reason,  that,  if  we  felt  it 
before  our  sense  of  sin  had  become  deep  and  distress- 
ing to  us,  we  might  be  careless  about  sin  ;  but,  in  the 
after-expeiience  of  the  child  of  God,  when  ho  has 
learned  (or,  rather,  is  learning)  by  habitual  watchful- 
ness to  detect  the  httle,  hourly,  secret  sins  which 
cause  him  such  an  aching  heart,  he  learns,  at  the 
same  time,  that,  while  tht;  waves  of  corruption  may 
dash   him   back  when  he  ought  only  to  be  flowing 


T  H  K      ACHING      U  E  A  K  T .  151 

towards  the  shore,  they  still  cannot  make  him  lose 
his  Iiold  of  the  Rock  to  whicli  he  is  anchored.  I 
seem  to  rest  very  much  on  such  thoughts  as  these, 
of  late." 

Another  lesson  experience  was  teaching  her. 
"  Though  I  have  the  character  of  being  very  well," 
she  writes,  Aug.  14,  "it  is  not  without  many  days 
and  hours  which  weariness  of  mind  and  of  body  ren- 
ders almost  useless,  except,  indeed,  so  for  as  they  are 
part  of  that  chastening  whereby  I  am  '  exercised.'  I 
have  thought  very  much  lately  of  the  gain  it  will  be 
to  have  lived  a  certain  time  after  one's  conversion,  in 
order  to  learn  out  the  lessons  one  can  never  learn  in 
heaven.  I  believe  we  shall  all  '  meet  the  Lord'  with 
such  varieties  of  feeling ; — the  young  Christian  with 
the  ai\lour  and  warmth  of  '  first  love,'  but  the  ma- 
tured believer  with  a  depth  and  richness  of  attach- 
ment which  would  characterize,  in  its  measure,  the 
meeting  of  old  and  long-tiiod  friends  after  prolonged 
separation,  and  which  others  can  never  know.  Don't 
you  think  this  is  quite  consistent  with  each  having 
the  full  shave  of  happiness  each  is  capable  of?  or  do 
you  think  it  is  taking  earthliness  of  feeling  too  much 
into  heaven  ?  I  do  think  our  light  afflictions  work 
out  a/a/-  more  exceeding  weight  of  glory." 

Paul  ■  peaks  of  the  "  law  in  his  members"  warring 
ag»'\        le  "  law  of  his  mind."     A  poet  has  written '. 

Jompiilsion,  from  its  destined  course 
The  magnet  may  awhile  detain  ; 
But,  when  no  more  withheld  by  force, 
It  trenib'fs  to  its  north  asain : 


162  M  K  M  O  I  R     OK     A  .     L.     N  K  W  T  O  y . 

Thus,  though  the  idle  world  may  hold 
My  fettered  thoufrhts  a  while  from  Tlieo 
To  Theo  they  spring,  when  uucontroll'd 
In  all  the  warmth  of  liberty." 

"I  cannot  tell  you/'  AJelaiJe  writes,  "how  I  dreaa 
worldliness  of  spirit  returning  on  nio.  Oil!  "aow  bit- 
terly one  has  to  loarn  the  folly  of  wandering  -vom  the 
side  of  Jesus,  or  rather,  I  would  say,  of  gri(  ""ng  His 
Holy  Spirit ;  for  (hat  is  what  I  believe  Chris /,i:.s  lose 
by,  strictly  speaking.  I  think  that  is  the  s-  '/tee  of 
all  our  misery  and  unhappiness."  And,  refcnng  to 
various  acts  of  service  which  she  had  been  doing  on 
behalf  of  Ireland,  and  also  of  the  Jews,  she  adds : 
"  One  only  longs  for  willing  hearts  to  devote  our- 
selves and  our  substance,  our  time  and  strength  and 
talents,  to  Him  whose  own  purchased  property  they 
are.  I  do  long,  as  you  say,  just  to  live  each  moment 
as  if  the  oppoitunity  might  soon  be  gone." 

A  craving  for  an  intenser  fellowship  of  hearts  than 
earth  affords,  took  a  faster  hold  upon  her  day  by 
day.  "Your  visits,"  she  writes,  Sept.  17  (1849), 
"  quite  refreshed  our  old  friendship,  though  they 
were  so  brief.  There  is  something  so  essentially 
binding  and  lasting  in  Christian  love,  that,  wherever 
it  exists,  friends  are  and  must  be  friends,  however  sel- 
dom or  often  they  may  meet,  till  they  meet  for  eter- 
nity. No  words  can  tell  the  delight  I  feel  in  every 
such  friendship — ^begim  in  the  bud  in  time,  to  ripen 
and  bear  fruit  for  ever.  Oh  !  for  better  communion  ! 
We  shall  have  it,  when  we  liave  'patiently  endured.'" 

A  friend  wjuj  taken  awav,  and  she  v.iiJcs:  "I  am 


THE     MAGNET.  153 

left :  pray  that  I  may  not  be  a  cumberer,  but  a  good 
steward  of  time,  health,  and  talents,  slill  lent  to  me 
to  trade  with.  It  is  quite  remarkable  how  many 
whom  I  loved  are  gone,  and  have  left  me  behind, 
more  and  more  bereft  of  all  but  Jesus  ;  but  His  ful- 
ness often  fills  my  little  earthen  vessel  to  overflow- 
ing, and — but  for  sin  within  and  without  and  all 
around  me — I  should  be  happy  indeed." 

And  to  another :  "  I  am  truly  sorry  for  you,  in 
one  sense,  for  the  loss  of  your  dear  baby  ;  but  surely 
I  must  rejoice  with  you,  too,  if  it  is  a  treasure  laid  up 
for  you  in  heaven,  and  drawing  your  affections  thither 
also  !  Accept  this  tiny  little  book — will  you  ? — as 
sa}  ing  what  I  like  to  say  on  that  subject.     I  wrote  it 

just  after  dearest  H B died.     I  have  since 

lost  my  most  intimate  friend  ;  but  I  love  to  think  of 
her  as  a  treasure  there,  and  I  feel  how  good  it  is  for  me 
to  be  weaned  from  earthly  objects  of  affection.  Oh, 
that  we  may  all  be  found  enthroned  ^vith  Jesus  in 
glory — serving  Him  here,  praising  him  there  !" 

Another  bereavement  drew  forth  her  sympathies 
thus  :  "I  cannot  think  of  your  brother  as  buried  in 
the  ocean  of  this  world's  sea,  without  much  more 
thinking  of  him  as  buried  in  the  fathomless  ocean- 
fulness  of  the  love  of  God  throughout  eternity. 
While  the  earthly  house  of  the  tabernacle  of  clay 
was  sinking  in  the  waters  of  time,  the  spirit  of  liie 
which  inhabited  that  earthern  vessel  soared  on  liii^h, 
and  winged  its  flight  to  those  unmeasured  heights  of 
the  love  of  Christ  which  pass  all  knowledge,  and  into 
which  he  has  passed  to  all  eternity.  Oh,  dear  E , 


164  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

may  God  in  Jesu^s,  by  the  abiding  indwelling  of  the 
Comforter,  enable  you  to  bury  all  your  sorrows  in  the 
depths  of  His  sovereign  love  !  Very  many  of  those  1 
loved  most  are  gone  before  me  ;  and  I  find  it  such  a 
blessing  to  have  my  treasures  laid  up  there  instead 
of  here." 

And  she  adds :  "  But  I  could  not  try  to  comfort 
you  under  an  affliction  such  as  this,  in  any  other  way 
than  by  speaking  of  Christ,  who  is  Himself  the  em- 
bodiment of  all  the  members,  and  in  whom  we  shall 
so  soon  all  meet,  to  be  for  ever  with  Him.  To  think 
of  ourselves  only  as  members  of  His  body  (so  as  to 
forget  ourselves  as  separate  individuals,  and  think  of 
ourselves  only  as  parts  of  a  whole),  or  to  think  of 
our  trials  and  circumstances  less  in  reference  to  our- 
selves, than  as  parts  of  God's  perfect  plan,  are  the 
two  great  objects  I  try  to  aim  after,  and  Avhich  I 
think  you  will  find  most  calming.  It  seems  to  put 
man  in  his  place,  and  God  in  His.  But  I  am  so 
afraid  of  wounding  where  I  would  only  wish  to  pour 
'  the  oil  of  joy,'  that  I  sliall  not  try  to  say  more. 
May  He  who  is  anointed  to  do  it,  give  you  all  that 
♦  oil  of  joy  !'  " 

As  the  winter  approached,  her  healtb  appeared  to 
suffer  less  than  usual.  "  I  have  not  known  what  it 
is  to  be  {IS  well  for  years,"  she  writes,  October  16 
(1849).  "Even  this  severe  cold  does  not  hurt  me  ; 
but  how  long  it  may  last,  I  know  not.  The  character 
of  God  is  my  grand  subject  this  year.  I  have  got  it 
in  fifty-two  points,  with  six  texts  on  each  ;  and  it  is 
Buch  a  rock  to  rest  upon  !     To  see  what  God  is,  and 


MKDITATION.  155 

that  He  is— an  eternal  present !  Oh,  it  is  wonderful, 
and  so  precious,  as  contrasted  with  all  the  tossincfs 
to  and  fro  of  frail  man,  even  though  he  be  a  vessel 
of  mercy  !  The  water  in  the  bottle  may  be  spent,  but 
not  the  water  in  the  well."     (Gen.  xxi.  15 — 19.) 

With  that  delicacy  of  touch  which  only  one 
dwelling  in  "  the  light"  can  attain,  we  find  her  hand- 
ling a  feature  of  the  hidden  life  thus :  "  In  regard  to 
meditation,  forgive  me  if  I  say  I  think  you  are  in 
bondage  about  it.  My  idea  of  it  is  this,  that  it  is  a 
thing  one  cannot  set  one's-self  to  as  a  prescribed 
duty ;  nor  do  I  think  it  is  enjoined  upon  us  as  such 
in  Scripture.  It  is  not  within  the  reach  of  the  newly- 
converted  .soul,  but  belongs  to  those  who,  in  studying 
the  precious  Word  of  life,  begin  to  see  such  beau- 
ties, and  such  heights,  and  depths,  and  lengths,  and 
breadths  in  Divine  wonders,  that,  as  they  read,  they 
are  constrained  to  pause,  to  wonder,  to  adore,  to  get 
breathing  time  in  which  to  admire  the  intensity  of 
the  mysteries  of  Diviuu  revelation.  Thus  St.  JPaul 
seemed  to  give  vent  to  his  meditations  in  Rom.  xi. 
33,  or  in  Rom.  vii.  24,  25,  on  a  quite  different  sub- 
ject. Don't  you  agree  to  this  ?  Old  writers  dwell 
upon  it  till  they  put  it  almost  in  the  place  of  a  Sav- 
iour, just  as  more  modern  ones  write  of  other  parts 
of  Christian  experience.  Cant.  v.  10 — 16  is  the 
sublimest  meditation  I  know  of,  and  it  came  out  of 
the  overflowings  of  a  full  heart,  and  not  out  of  one 
set  about  to  meditate  because  meditation  was  '  sweet' 
and  profitable.  I  think  the  way  to  arrive  at  medita- 
tion, is,  to  read  the  words  and  revealed  thousfhts  of 


156  MEMOIR     OF     A.     I..     NEWTON. 

God,  till  you  can't  help  it.  Your  own  thouofhta 
become  so  full  of  it,  that  you  meditate  almost  un- 
cousciously. 

"  Would  that  T  knew  more  of  this  most  ble'^sed 
occupation  !"  she  adds.  "  God  grant  that  your  letter 
may  stir  me  up  to  fresh  enjoyment  of  it  by  leading 
me  more  into  those  green  pastures  where  (to  use  a 
homely  illustration)  one  may  eat  the  grass,  and  then 
chew  the  cud.  I  have  kept  up  very  well  this  summer 
in  my  irivalidish  way,  living  almost  entirely  up-stairs, 
and  never  once  stirring  beyond  the  garden.  But  I 
have  suffered  very  little  to  what  I  used  to  do,  and 
only  long  for  grace  to  consecrate  every  energy  of  mind 
and  body  to  our  Jesus.  Humanly  speaking,  I  may 
live  a  great  while  longer  in  this  sort  of  way.  God 
bless  you,  while  you  live  and  when  you  die, '  and  make 
you  a  blessing.' " 

And  again,  on  Oct.  19:  "What  depths  of  grace 
and  of  sin  Christians  have  to  learn  out !  The  lower 
I  sink,  the  higher  grace  rises.  Ps.  xcviii.  1,  with  1 
Cor.  XV.  57,  have  been  an  immense  comfort  to  me, 
God  getting  the  victory  hy  Himself  andybr  Himself, 
and  then  in  free  grace  giving  it  to  us,  so  that  we 
don't  even  conquer,  but  He  does  it  all." 

And  to  another,  on  Oct.  29  :  "  Your  gourd  is 
withered  before  your  eyes ;  but  '  rejoice  in  the  Lord, 
and  joy  in  the  God  of  your  salvation.'  You  will  find 
it  an  immense  help  to  you  in  your  spiritual  advance 
to  have  made  the  sacrifice  to  God,  no  matter  in  what 
light  the  act  may  appear  wlion  viewed  in  refereiu-e 
to  other  things.     I  have  long  felt,  that  in  our  fear  of 


EARNESTNESS.  157 

denying  ourselves,  or  doing  good  works  mcritorioushj, 
wo  run  into  the  opposite  extreme  of  self-indulgence, 
and  of  amusing  ourselves  with  innocent  worldly 
pleasures  and  doing  nothing  for  God.  How  we  need 
to  be  kept  in  all  these  things,  by  the  guidance  of  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  lest  in  one  way  or  other  we  fall  into 
error !" 

And  she  adds ;  "  Oh  !  if  one  may  but  win  one  soul 
to  Jesus,  it  is  worth  the  sacrifice  of  one's  whole  life 
to  do  it ;  but  /  think  we  ought  to  exjyect  to  do  a  great 
deal,  seeing  that  all  the  power  is  God's  and  He  only 
wants  to  use  us  as  a  manufacturer  sets  his  machine 
in  motion.  The  wheels  and  pins  don't  do  the  work, 
and  yet  it  is  done  by  them.  Is  not  that  a  strong  ex- 
pression, 'They  limited  the  Holy  One  of  Israel?'  I 
will  send  you  a  splendid  text — Luke  v.  5,  6.  It  tells 
volumes  of  man's  impotence  (hours  of  fruitless  toil), 
and  God's  omnipotence  (working  wonders  in  one 
moment  by  one  word)  I  Faith,  too,  is  the  instru- 
ment— '  At  thy  word  I  will  let  down  the  net'  Why 
don't  we  launch  into  the  depths  of  God's  love,  and 
enclose  such  blessings  as  would  well-nigh  break  our 
feeble  '  earthen  vessels  V  There  are  multitudes  of 
fishes  in  His  ocean-fulness,  which  faith  might  catch  ! 
'  Lord  increase  our  faith  !' " 

Her  life  grew  more  and  more  intensely  earnest,  as 
she  hastened  towards  the  mark.  Writing  to  a  be- 
reaved friend,  Nov.  16  (1849),  she  says:  "Our 
correspondence  has  sadly  broken  down  ;  but  I  never 
can  keep  one  up  only  on  one  side — T  never  seem  to 
know  what  exactly  to  write  about :  and  to  writo 
U 


158  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

about  anything  apjX'ars  more  like  the  uuprofitable 
topics  of  conversation  wliich  too  much  occupy  the 
world,  than  like  the  earnest  intercourse  of  fellow- 
pilgrims  to  a  better  country ; — above  all,  when,  as  is 
the  case  with  us,  we  are  both  warned  so  emphatically 
by  illness  not  to  stop  and  play  with  flowers  by  the 
way.  But  I  have  been  really  anxious  to  assure  you 
of  my  true  sympathizing  love  under  your  late  deep 
trials.  With  all  the  fulness  of  sympathy  which  is 
treasured  up  for  us  in  llim  on  the  way,  and  with 
the  bright  prospect  before  us  of  a  happy  and  joyful 
re-union  for  ever  in  glory  at  the  end,  have  not  we 
enough  to  change  '  the  spirit  of  heaviness'  into  '  a 
garment  of  praise'  ?" 

And  a  glimpse  into  her  special  experience  at  this 
period  follows :  "  I  do  get  to  feel  so  much  more 
every  day,  that  nothing  but  the  absolute,  naked 
reality  of  having  God  in  Christ  for  my  portion  and 
my  everything,  can  satisfy  me.  I  have  been  stripped 
bare  this  summer  of  those  happy  feelings  which  I 
used  to  enjoy  so  much,  in  order  to  be  made  to  trust 
God  without  them,  and,  even  when  walking  in  dark- 
ness, to  be  stayed  upon  my  God.  (Isaiah  1.  10.)* 
It  has  not  made  me  unhappy,  but  it  has  emptied  me 
of  any  joy  which  belonged  to  myself,  and  has  shown 
me  that  the  only  true  and  abiding  joy  is  in  the  Lf)rd. 

*  Alluding  to  this  subject  in  another  letter,  she  says:  "  I 
know  I  owe  this  very  mainly  to  dear  Mr.  Cell's  sermons 
years  ago,  which  the  Holy  Spirit  was  pleased  to  make  use 
of  in  laying  a  foundation  which  no  subsequent  trials  or 
storms  could  shake."  % 


COMING     GLORY.  159 

"  Habakkuk,"  she  adds,  "  was  set  to  learn  this  les- 
son by  being  stripped  of  his  outward  c.-mforts  and 
reduced  to  poverty  and  distress — no  meat  from  the 
flock,  no  herd  in  the  stall — nevertheless  he  could 
say,  '  Yet  I  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the 
God  of  my  salvation.'  And  David  was  set  to  learn 
it  by  bitter  disappointment  in  his  friends — '  My  soul, 
wait  thou  (mly  upon  God,  for  my  expectation  is  from 
Him'  (Ps.  Ixii.) — the  whole  Psalm  showing  how 
from  rich  and  poor  nothing  could  be  expected  in 
this  world.  Oh!  it  is  hard — very,  very  hard — to 
learn  this  for  one's-self,  is  it  not  ?  It  has  cost  me 
many  a  bitter  hour;  but  in  one  way  or  another  I 
suppose  we  must  each  of  us  learn  it.  And  I  can't 
help  thinking  that  you  and  I  are  being  taught  it — 
you  more  in  the  way  that  Habakkuk  was,  and  I 
more  in  David's  way ;  though  every  one  has  pecu- 
liarities belonging  to  their  own  peculiar  characters 
and  circumslances,  and  giving  a  vaned  colouring  to 
their  specific  trials." 

For  a  time  it  was  intended  that  she  should  again 
winter  in  Torquay.  "  Though  in  most  respects  bet- 
ter," she  writes  on  Nov.  17,  "I  feel  conscious  of  the 
existence  of  the  undengrouud  workings  of  disease, 
which  others  do  not  see.  I  have  been  quite  in  a 
swoon  whilst  writing  this  letter ;  but  I  am  better 
ao-aiu  now,  and  wish  to  forget  all  these  little  things 
as  soon  as  they  are  past.  They  are  but  the  circum- 
stances of  the  way,  and  are  unworthy  of  a  thought 
compared  with  the  coming  glory.  Oh  !  that  our 
liearta   may  be   more   engrossed   with   that !     How 


1  60  M  K  M  ()  I  K     OF     A  .     L .     N  K  W  T  O  N  . 

near  it  may  be  to  each  of  us !  Come,  Lord  Jesus, 
come  quickly !" 

And,  on  Dec.  5,  slie  writes:  "The  cold  has  at- 
tacked me  at  last,  and  I  have  gradually  been  tum- 
bling down  each  day  this  week.  I  am  just  waiting 
for  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  to  move  first,  and 
make  it  plain  whether  I  am  to  go  or  stay."  And  a 
fortnight  later:  "I  am  well  enough  to  have  great 
expectations  of  staying  at  home  altogether  this  win- 
ter, but  God  has  given  me  to  feel  very  willing  to  stay 
or  go  as  He  points  out  for  me.  Things  seem  so  much 
more  and  more  to  me  every  day  to  be  as  though 
they  were  not :  1  Cor.  vii.  2& — 31  is  perpetually  on 
my  mind.  I  seem  more  to  live  upon  (^.od,  less  upon 
feelings  and  experience." 

Another  aflecting  glimpse  into  her  inner  life  oc- 
curs in  the  same   letter  :    "  I  long  to  own  to  you, 

dearest ,  though  I  have  said  it  to  no  one  else, 

that  I  have  the  feeling  of  having  learned  so  much  of 
such  wonders  of  grace  that  I  don't  know  what  to  say. 
I  'm  sure  I  need  keeping  down  ;  and  I  don't  think  I 
can  be  thankful  enough  that  the  hungering,  and 
thirsting,  and  fainting  state  is  mine,  rather  than  the 
fulness  of  happy  joy  which  I  once  felt.  That  I  may 
be  emptied  and  Christ  exalted,  self  crushed,  and  Je- 
sus set  up — these  are  the  things  I  seem  most  to  want. 
(>nly  I  cannot  express  it,  even  to  you.  Oh  !  the  com- 
fort— the  intense  comfort — of  knowing  that  God 
reads  the  secret  thoughts  of  our  hearts  which  we 
cannot  express  I     Still  one  wants  to  tell  of  His  good 


SEND     MK.  161 

ness,  and  to  make  our  boast  in  Him.     But  it  is  hard 
to  boast  in  Him,  is  it  not  ? 

"  '  I  cannot  make  tliy  mercies  known 
But  self-applause  comes  in !'  " 

When  Henry  Martyn  left  England  and  all  its 
pleasant  attractions,  he  "  left  it  wholly  for  Christ's 
sake,"  says  his  biographer,  "  and  he  left  it  for  ever." 
As  he  was  on  his  voyage  out,  he  wrote  one  day  in 
his  Diary  this  entry :  "  Sept.  23.  We  are  just  to 
the  south  of  all  Europe,  and  I  bid  adieu  to  it  for 
ever,  without  a  wish  of  ever  re-visiting  it,  and  still 
less  with  any  desire  of  taking  up  my  rest  in  the 
strange  land  to  which  I  am  going."  It  is  this  spirit 
of  self-sacrifice  which  alone  gives  to  the  Church  its 
power.  With  it  she  is  like  Samson  in  his  Nazarito 
strength  :  without  it  she  is  Samson  shorn  of  his 
locks  and  grinding  in  prison.  "We  are  too  prone 
by  far,"  writes  Adelaide,  Dec.  19  (1849),  indicating 
her  impression  of  the  Church's  real  condition,  "to 
cry  out  for 'money — money,'  and  to  be  lamenting 
that  we  can  give  so  little,  whilst  the  secret  truth  is, 
that  what  God  asks  and  expects  is — ourselves. 
'  My  son,'  says  God,  '  give  me  thine  heart ;'  and  well 
did  He  know  when  he  said  that,  that  everything  else 
would  follow.  At  the  present  day  few  ofler  them- 
selves to  work  for  God  without  being  well  paid  for 
it ;  and  I  begin  to  think  we  shall  have  to  find  that, 
if  missionary  woik  is  to  be  done,  it  must  be  done  by 
the  sacrifice  of  ourselves.     '  Here  am  I,  send  me.'  " 

At  the  close  of  the  year  she  decided  to  remain  at 
1  l-'= 


1  (52  M  E  M  O  I  K     OF     A  .      I. .     N  E  W  TON. 

home.  "  God  ha.s  iiiadc  His  way  j^lain  botbre  me," 
she  writes  "  I  uever  felt  so  willing  to  have  it  all 
ordered  for  me  before.      I  have  strong  indications 

now  and  tLen  that  the  '  love-token'  (as  dear 

calls  it)  is  not  taken  away  ;  but  my  duty  is  '  patient 
waiting.'  Oh  !  do  ask  for  quickening  grace  for  me. 
I  hope  you  have  enjoyed  this  Christmas  in  thoughts 
of  the  great  mystery  of  godliness." 

Iler  own  "  Christmas  thoughts"  she  records  in  her 
Diary  thus  :  "  Most  holy,  holy,  holy — holy  God  !  we 
thank  Thee  that  unto  us  a  Son  is  born — unto  us  a 
Child  is  given  ;  that  the  government  shall  be  upon 
His  shoulders,  and  that  of  the  increase  of  His  govern- 
ment there  shall  be  no  end,  ujwn  the  throne  of  David 
and  upon  His  kingdom,  to  order  it  and  to  establish 
it  with  judgment  and  with  justice  for  ever ;  that  a 
'day' is  coming  in  which  He  shall  be  revealed  as 
'King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  loids,'  when  His  name 
shall  be  on  His  vesture  and  on  His  thigh.  May  we 
know  Him  as  the  Saviour  by  whom  our  sins  are  all 
forgiven,  and  not  only  forgiven,  but  dethroned  more 
and  more  every  day !  May  Thy  grace  be  miglity  to 
subdue  them  all,  that,  not  only  in  our  spirits,  but  in 
our  bodies,  we  may  glorify  God,  till  at  length  we 
come  to  realize  more  of  the  holy  anticipations  which 
are  set  before  us  in  the  brighter  scenes  and  nobler 
society  wliich  Ave  lioi^e  soon  to  join,  in  that  countless 
throng  among  whom  we,  too,  would  cast  our  crowns 
bi'fore  the  throne,  and  before  the  Lamb  wlio  sitteth 
upon  Uie  tliroiu'  for  ever  ;iiid  ever  I" 


CHAPTER  XI. 

This  winter  and  spring-  (1850)  were  occupied  with 
her  work  on  the  Song.  "  The  demand  for  books  at 
the  present  day,"  she  writes,  on  March  16,  to  a  friend 
who  was  pubhshiiig,  "  seems  to  me  to  make  a  won- 
derful opening-  for  saying  a  word  for  Christ.  And  I 
am  always  glad  when  any  one  writes  on  the  Bible; 
I  think  other  books  are  only  valuable  in  proportion 
as  they  lead  to  it.  You  will  be  surprised  when  I  tell 
you  that  Nisbet  has  got  an  arrangement  of  texts  of 
mine  on  Canticles.  It  was  my  happy  employment, 
the  two  first  years  I  was  at  Torquay,  to  find  them 
out ;  and  I  have  since  written  them  out,  just  connect- 
ing them  together  with  a  few  words.  The  way  has 
been  made  so  clear  in  regard  to  it,  that  I  hope  God 
intends  for  me  to  be  a  silent  messenger  for  Him  in 
that  manner.  It  is  a  sweet  subject ;  it  is  so  full  of 
Christ,  and  lets  one  into  so  much  of  the  feelings  of 
His  heart  towards  His  Church." 

Henry  Martyu  once  wrote  in  his  Diary :  "  Read 
Isaiah  the  rest  of  the  evening ;  sometimes  happy,  and 
at  other  times  tired,  and  desiring  to  take  up  some 
other  religious  bouk ;  but  I  saw  it  an  important  duty 
to  check  this  slighting  of  the  Word  of  God."     Dear 


164  MEMOIR     OP      A  .     I. .     NEWTON. 

Adelaide  found  in  the  "Word  the  very  \\v\n^  maniKi 
from  heaven.  "I  believe  I  may  say  with  truth,"  she 
writes,  "  that  some  of  the  texts  I  sent  you  last  have 
been  the  language  of  my  heart  both  night  and  day. 
'  My  soul  thirsteth  for  God,  for  the  living  God  ;  when 
shall  I  come  and  appear  before  God  ?'  May  you  find 
the  Lord's  words  an  ever-deepening  source  of  truest 
enjoyment,  opening  fresh  beauties  to  your  astonished 
gaze  with  every  fresh  discovery  of  the  fading  nature 
of  all  that  Solomon  calls  '  vanity !'  And  may  you 
ever  have  One  present,  as  a  Companion  to  whom  you 
can  talk  without  weariness  or  ennui  in  your  most 
lonely  hours !" 

Growing  in  meekness,  she  grew  in  calm  repose  of 
spirit.  "  I  do  love  all  God's  dealings  with  me,"  she 
writes,  "  and  would  have  none  of  them  altered,  if  I 
could.  My  burden  is  only  what  every  Christian 
groans  under — sin  ;  and  I  know  I  shall  never  be  lid 
of  it  till  this  body  of  sin  is  entirely  destroyed,  and  we 
are  altogether  planted  in  the  likeness  of  Christ's  re- 
surrection. Oh  I  will  it  not  be  wonderful  to  be  a 
body  of  glorv,  emitting  light  in  every  direction,  ami 
dwelling  in  pure,  essential  light, '  raised  in  j)owei",'  all 
our  present  weakness  and  dishonour  having  passed 
away,  so  that  even  Jesus  shall  be  admired  and  gl'>ii- 
iied  in  us  ?  And  I  have  liked  so  much  lately  to 
think  how  this  bright  ray  of  glory,  instead  of  casting 
a  shadow  upon  everything  here,  rather  sheds  a  beam 
of  liglit  to  gild  our  pathway  heavenwards." 

A  birthday  wish  for  a  beloved  sister  she  breathes 
forth  thus-  '^January  29,  1850.      As  a  tree  of  right- 


HOUSKHOLD     OF     GOD,  165 

eonsness  plautcd  in  tlie  gurden  of  the  Lord  by  His 
own  rio-ht  hand,  and  as  a  branch  of  the  trie  vine, 
grafted  into  Jesus,  may  you  be  daily  more  and  more 
'  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by 
Jesus  Christ  to  the  glory  and  praise  of  God  !'  and 
further  still,  may  the  precious  promise  be  fulfilled  in 
you,  'And  her  leaf  sliall  be  green  !'  (Jei-.  xvii.  7,  8.) 
Even  the  smallest  things  jibout  us  siiould  be  full  of 
the  sap  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

The  "great  cloud  of  witnesses"  "declared  plainly 
that  they  sought  a  country."  Not  less  plainly  did 
dear  Adelaide  "declare"  to  all  around  her  where  she 
was  going.  "  The  words,  '  household  of  God,'  "  she 
writes,  "  have  often  struck  me  lately  as  beautifully 
expressing  th.e  full  realization  of  wliat  is  now  only 
*the  househoM  of  faith.'  And  when  one  strongly 
feels  the  unsatisfactoriness  of  seeing  '  through  a  glass 
darkly,'  it  is  impossible  not  to  long  to  launch  into 
the  full  blaze  of  light — in  God,  \>hen  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  now  scattered  family  shall  for  ever  meet 
in  the  '  Father's  House.'  I  don't  think  I  ever  knew 
so  well  before  what  it  is  to  be  sensibly  nearing  the 
port  by  every  passing  hour  as  I  have  done  lately.  It 
is  a  real  and  precious  truth,  whether  the  time  be 
comparatively  long  or  short ;  and  it  seems  to  help 
me  on  wonderfully,  though  I  have  no  idea  where- 
abouts I  am.  It  is  sad  and  really  painful  to  be  a 
child,  and  have  so  little  of  a  child's  feeling  towards 
such  a  Father.  But  if  I  am  only  humbled  under  it, 
I  believe  it  will  magnify  the  exceeding  riches  of  tJie 
freeness  of  grace." 


106  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

What  joy  and  wliat  strength  wo  often  lose  by 
being  overcome  of  little  trials  !  "  In  the  midst  of 
plenty  to  try  me,"  she  writes,  Jan.  11  (1850),  "I 
have  been  so  quiet,  that  I  can  only  say  it  shows  \vh:it 
'  the  peace  of  God'  can  do.  It  is  not  great  troubles, 
but  constant,  wearing  annoyances,  that  I  refer  to — 
little  daily  trials  ;  but  I  don't  feel  them  at  all  as  I 
used  to  do.  '  They  shall  not  be  ashamed  that  wait 
for  me.'  " 

The  delicate  organism  of  the  "new  creature"  she 
realized  with  a  growing  sensitiveness,  "  How  very 
precious  His  thoughts  are,"  she  writes,  "  when  we 
can  at  all  enjoy  '  fellowship  with  the  Father  and  with 
His  Son  Jesus  Christ !'  and  yet  how  easily — oh !  I 
can  scarcely  believe,  and  cannot  tell  you,  how  easily 
— I  let  sin  interrupt  and  hinder  me  from  coming 
near  before  llim  !  But,  if  it  surpi-ises  me,  it  is  no 
matter  of  surpiise  to  Ilim  Avho  knew  from  the  begin- 
ning what  a  transgressor  I  should  be.  Don't  you 
think  this  thought  is  one  which  gives  us  most  con- 
fidence in  God  ?  If  anything  could  happen  which 
lie  had  not  foreseen,  it  ujight  change  His  mind  to- 
wards us  ;  but  all  His  thoughts  being  to  give  us  '  an 
expected  end,'  does  seem  so  intensely  to  assure  our 
hearts  before  Him,  does  it  not?" 

In  spite  of  an  oppressive  langour,  incident  to  her 
complaint  at  some  of  its  stages,  and,  this  spring,  pecu- 
liarly trying,  she  laboured  on  at  her  work.  "  I  have 
lately  been  transcribing,"  she  writes,  Feb.  6  (1850), 
"the  whole  of  the  texts  on  Solomon's  Song.  It  seems 
to  be  the  wav  God  has  marked  out  for  me  to  serve 


HEIRSOFGOD.  iDi 

Kirn;  find  I  desire  from  the  heart,  to  say,  'Thy  will 
be  done.'  Prccions,  indeed,  is  the  privilege  of  serv- 
ing snch  a  Master  in  the  hmnblest  ways — whether  in 
passive  waiting  or  in  active  serving.  I  often  have 
days  on  which  I  am  all  but  good  for  nothing ;  but, 
after  all,  these  bodily  fluctuations  are  but  a  small 
thing.  IIow  we  ought  to  long  for  powers  to  serve 
God  perfectly  !  and  yet,  let  |xitience  have  her  per- 
fect work  first." 

Vinet,  speaking  of  "  the  look  directed  towards 
Jesus,"  and  contrasting  it  with  "  meditations  and 
discussions  on  free  will,  or  assurance,  or  the  connex- 
ion between  faith  and  works,  and  even  on  the  proper- 
ties of  faith" — all  which,  he  says,  "  tend  to  occupy 
us  too  much  with  ourselves,  and  give  too  strong  a 
hold  to  that  vivacious  self-interest  which  catches  at 
and  clings  to  everytliing,"  remarks :  "  In  proportion 
as  it  is  prolonged,  it  inspires  our  soul  with  a  holy 
enthusiasm,  a  holy  love.  It  makes  those  dispositions 
habitual  and  dominant  in  our  heart.  It  becomes  at 
once  the  light  and  the  heat  of  our  life.  It  facilitates, 
simplifies,  illumines  all.  It  does  better  than  refute 
doubts,  it  absorbs  them.  In  its  brightness,  all  their 
equivocal  or  false  glimmerings  are  quenched."  Ade- 
laide Newton,  each  new  day,  entered  mOTe  deeply 
into  this  momentous  truth.  "The  watchword  I 
chose  for  the  new  year,"  she  writes,  on  Fel>.  6  (1850), 
'•was — 'Heirs  of  God.'  I  tliink  w'C  are  too  much 
taken  up,  as  Christians,  with  our  Christian  character 
and  duties,  and  meditate  far  too  little  on  our  posses- 
sions and  privil<'!xe«.     <ion.  and   nothing  less,  is  out 


168  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

inheritance  ;  for  we  arc  'joint-heirs  with  Christ.'  'Tis 
true  that  it  involves  '  if  so  be  that  we  suffer  with 
Him'  now  for  a  few  days  on  the  earth  ;  but  then  it 
is  in  fellowsbip  with  a  risen  Jesus,  and  it  leads  to 
everlastiiicf  glory  with  Him  hereafter.  I  send  it  vou 
to  think  of,  and  moke  your  boast  of:  we  mat/  glory 
in  the  Lord,  you  know !" 

It  was  this  .peculiar  chaiacteristic  of  her  Christian 
life  which  gave  such  fragrance  to  her  words.  She 
was  ever  herself  dwelling  in  the  light;  and  her  aim, 
in  every  letter  and  in  every  convereation,  was  to 
bring  others  up  with  her  into  the  same  light.  "  Don't 
you  think,"  she  writes  to  a  friend,  on  Feb.  7  (1850), 
"  there  is  something  very  sweet  in  being  comforted 
and  refreshed  together  by  our  '  mutual  faith  V  I 
have  another  most  ])recious  word  from  the  mouth  of 
our  God  to  send  you — at  least  one  that  has  been  a 
gi'eat  comfort  to  me  in   giving   me  fresh    courage 

about  dearest ,  when  I  had  begun  to  be  very 

desponding — '  There  is  no  restraint  to  the  Lord  :' 
whether  the  outward  circumstances  be  encouraging 
or  not,  whether  '  with  many  or  with  few,'  it  is  equally 
easy  to  Him  to  save.  And  there  is  one  thought 
which  I  have  enjoyed  resting  upon,  in  connexion 
with  these  circumstances,  very  much  lately,  viz., 
that  what  Omniscient  love  has  proposed.  Omnipotent 
love  will  bring  to  pass.  What  a  Rock  that  is  to  fall 
back  upon,  when  the  waves  of  affliction  toss  one  to 
and  fro !" 

"  I  enclose,"  she  continues,  "  some  very  sweet  texts 
Jor  you.     Two,   particularly,    have  struck   me   very 


PRAYING     FOR     OOd's     GLORT.  169 

much.  One  was,  when  Jesus  was  praying  in  the 
garden  for  the  removal  (three  times  over)  of  His 
bitter  cup  (not  composed  of  one  thorn,  like  St. 
Paul's,  but  of  a  crown  of  thorns,  &c.),  instead  of 
His  request  being  granted,  He  only  seemed  to  get 
the  same  answer  St.  Paul  got — "  My  grace  is  suffi- 
cient for  thee.'  '  There  appeared  an  angel  from 
heaven  strengthening  Him.'  I  thought  it  was  very 
strengthening  to  us,  in  similar  circumstances  of  pro- 
longed trial,  to  be  brought  into  such  evident  fellow- 
ship with  Jesus  in  His  sufierings. 

'• '  I  of  this  cup  am  drinking, 
To  be  conformed  to  thee.' 

The  other  text  was  in  the  12th  of  St.  John ;  the  re- 
markable contrast  between  those  two  little  prayers 
of  Christ's — '  Father,  save  Me  from  this  hour  ;'  and, 
'  Father,  glorify  Thy  name.'  The  first  prayer  for 
His  own  deliverance  from  trial  He  Himself  seemed 
to  negative — '  but  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this 
hour ;  whilst  the  second  prayer,  for  God's  glory, 
was  immediately  answered  by  the  voice  from  heaven. 
Does  it  not  teach  us  a  very  sweet  lesson  about 
prayer,  at  the  same  time  affording  the  precious 
evidence  that  prayer  for  deliverance  from  the  hour 
of  trial  is  '  Christ-like' — only  it  is  swallowed  up  in 
the  yet  dearer  object  to  a  Christian's  heart,  his 
Father's  glory  ?  It  is  so  blessed  to  know  that  we  are 
j)raying  as  Christ  prayed." 

"  Oh  !  I  cannot  tell  you,"  she  adds,  "  how  I  feel  for 
all  the  aggravating  circumstances  of  trial  which  press 
15 


170  M  i:  M  O  I  K     OF     A  .     L .     N  E   .V  T  O  N . 

on  you  just  now  ;  but  '  everlasting  arms'  are  up- 
liolding  you,  and  I  know  it  is  love  appoints  it  all. 
What  a  depth  of  unutterably  precious  meaning  is 
enfolded  in  that  one  word — '  God  is  love  !'  I  w;is 
thinking  of  the  words,  '  I  will  be  to  you  a  (iod,'  this 
afteruoon,  in  the  sense  of  a  God  of  love — '  I  will  be 
to  you  Love.'  Don't  you  think  it  throws  a  glowing 
tint,  as  it  were,  over  all  His  dealings  with  us  ?  The 
words  you  once  gave  me — '  Thy  righteousness  is  like 
the  great  mountains,  and  Thy  judgments  are  a  great 
deep' — have  b(!en  helping  me  to  think  of  the  heights 
and  depths  of  the  love  of  Christ  lately  ;  for  every- 
thing God  does,  seems  to  be  swallowed  up  in  love. 

On  another  occasion,  taking  up  those  words,  "  Our 
days  on  the  earth  are  as  a  shadow,  and  there  is  none 
abiding,"  she  says  : — "  It  struck  me  as  full  of  mean- 
ing, when  our  years  are  counted  by  days,  as  they  are 
in  Scripture — 'The  days  of  our  years  are  threescore 
years  and  ten.'  It  really  seems  more  consistent  with 
the  pilgrim  character  to  reckon  by  days,  does  it  not  ? 
(James  iv.  13, 14, 15.)  '  Here  have  we  no  continuing 
city,  but  we  seek  one  to  come' — '  a  better  country' 
(or,  as  some  render  it,  a  home,  or  fatherland) — 
'  Strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth.'  And  is  it 
not  a  gracious  contrast? — 'days  on  the  earth,'  Nut 
eternity  in  heaven  !  Days  of  sufl'erings,  but  pleasures 
for  evermore  !  '  Our  days  on  the  earth  are  as  a 
shadow,' 

"  '  But  the  brjf,'ht  world  to  wblcli  we  go 
Hath  joys  substantial  and  aincore.'  " 

She  was    no  "lingerer"   at    the   gates  of  Sodom 


ADAM     AND     JESUS.  1 7 1 

"  Oh  !  wliy,"  we  find  her  inquiring,  "  are  we  not 
more  tninstbrraed  into  the  very  image  of  Jesus  ?  I 
think  it  is  because  we  so  little  seek  the  indwelling 
of  His  Spirit.  It  is  so  vain  to  reform  our  hves, 
words,  and  acts,  unless  the  transfonnatiou  springs, 
from  first  to  last,  from  the  root,  and  source,  and 
author  of  life  within  us — is  it  not  ?  I  will  send  you, 
'  Her  leaf  shall  be  green'  (Jer.  xvii.  8),  with  '  I  shall 
be  anointed  with  fresh  oiV  (Ps.  xcii.  10) — the  sap  or 

the  oil   of  the   Spirit.     Dear   is  reading   me 

'  M'Cheyne's  Life'  again  :  how  sweet  it  is  !  He  did 
so  realize  his  full  acceptance  and  completeness  in 
Jesus.     And  why  should   not  we  ?     I  was  greatly 

struck  by  a  remark  from  a  dear  friend  in  1) ,  the 

other  day  :  '  I  only  see  two  men  in  the  word — Adam 
and  Jesus ;  and  I  think  God  only  sees  two.  All  are 
seen  as  either  in  Jesus  or  in  fallen  Adam.  Chris- 
tians are  lost  sight  of,  and  Jesus  is  seen ;  and  God 
treats  Christians  as  part  of  Christ.'  Don't  you  think 
we  should  trv  more  and  more  to  forget  ourselves  as 
individuals,  and  to  see  ourselves  as  .parts  of  a  whole 
— members  of  a  Body,  burying  self,  our  religious- 
self,  quite  as  much  as  our  natural  self. 

Her  happy  thoughts  of  God  both  lightened  her 
own  trials  and  "  gave  her  the  tongue  of  the  learned 
to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  the  weary."  "  I  will 
not  take  up  your  time,"  she  says,  after  mentioning 
some  details  about  her  illness,-  "  by  writing  about 
these  seen  things,  which  are  but  for  a  moment. 
How  soon  they  vnW  be  forgotten  for  ever,  except  as 
the  goodness  and  tender   mercy  of  our  Father  in 


1  7  J  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     N  J:.  W  T  O  N'  . 

lienvcn  is  develoix-d  and  exhibited  in  thoin  !"  And, 
writing  to  another,   on  February  IG,  she  snys :  "1 

really  can    only   think  of  you  and as  in  tho 

midst  of  tlie  burning  fiery  furnace  heated  seven 
times :  but  I  always  see  a  fourtli,  like  unto  the  Sou 
of  God,  with  you ;  and  your  tin  nace  is  heated  by 
love,  and  not  by  '  the  wrath  of  the  king.'  It  is  '  the 
furnace  of  affliction'  in  which  you  were  '  chosen.' 
How  wonderful  to  be  '  purified  seven  times  !'  " 

And  on  February  28  :  "I  shall  be  entering  to- 
morrow on  the  tw^enty-sixth  year  of  my  sojourning 
on  earth.  Ask  for  me,  that  whether  for  time  or  for 
eternity  I  may  henceforward  walk  in  the  light  of 
God's  countenance.  Do  you  remember  talking  to 
me  once  about '  Jesus  lifting  up  llis  eyes  to  heaven  V 
(John  xvii.  1.)  How  His  eye  would  always  meet 
the  downwar-l  glance  of  His  Father's  eye  !  It  has 
given  me  such  sweet,  happy  thoughts  about  our 
lieavenly  Father's  countenance.  Fur,  in  Jesus,  tho 
.s;une  must  always  be  true  of  us.  And  do:i't  you 
think  the  Father's  face  is  always  irradiated  with 
looks  of  love,  the  natural  dictates  of  His  heart  of 
l)ve,  and  that  His  countenance  always  beams  with 
lovingkindncss  ?  Oh,  will  it  not  be  wonderful  to 
look  up  full  into  our  Father's  face,  and  really  to  bo 
able  to  enjoy  the  blaze  of  that -light  as  it  beams 
from  His  countenance  in  glory  ?  I  think  those 
words  iu  Jude  give  us  such  a  wonderful  idea  of  our 
perfectiicss  in  Christ,  that  Pie  is  able  to  present  us 
faultless  before  the  presence  of  His  glory.  In  that 
excess  of  brightness,  that  liglit  where  there  is  '  no 


TIDESOFLOVE.  l73 

darkness,'  to  be  '  faiilUcss  !'     vVml,  dear ,  is  it  not 

as  true  noAV  of  vou  and  nie  in  Jesus,  as  it  is  of  dear 

B C ,  who  really  was  presented  there  this 

day  last  year  ?  So  that  God  is  lifting  up  the  light 
of  llis  countenance  upon  us  even  now.  It  does 
seem  so  wonderful  that  we  can  desire  to  come  into 
contact  with  such  light — the  very  thing  which  by 
nature  we  so  shrink  from  :  '  Men  loved  darkness  rather 
than  light.' " 

And  to  another  :  "  I  have  no  idea  whatever  now 
of  seeing  you  or  Torquay.  Perhaps  never!  But  it 
is  enough  to  know,  that  He  who  sees,  leads  His  blind 
ones  safely  and  rightly.  Oh,  it  is  sweeter  than  I  can 
express,  to  leave  it  there  !  How  good  God  has  been 
to  mo,  to  make  me  feel  it  so !  I  wish  I  knew  how 
to  be  thankful ;  but  I  shall  not  have  to  wait  a  bit  too 
long  for  powers  to  praise,  when  Jesus  will  be  Himself 
the  leader  of  the  praises  of  His  people  '  in  the  great 
congregation.'" 

And  to  a  deeply-tried  friend,  a  week  later,  thus : 
"  The  verse  I  should  like  to  send  you  is  Ps.  xlii.  7  : 
'AH  thy  waves  and  billows  are  gone  over  me' — 
tides  of  love,  '  waves  and  billows'  springing  out  of 
the  ocean  of  God's  love,  so  that  they  cannot  over- 
whelm, but  only  plunge  us  into  its  unfathomable 
depths.  I  have  thought  of  it  many  times  for  you  in 
connexion  with  Phil.  ii.  27 — '  God  had  mercy  on 
him,  and  not  on  him  only,  but  on  me  also,  lest  I 
should  Ir.ve  sorrow  ui)on  sorrow.'  And  it  is  fol- 
lowed so  beautifully  in  tlie  next  verse,  by  God  com- 
manding His  lonngkindness  in  the  daytime,  and 
15* 


174  MEM  OIK     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON'. 

enabling  the  soul  even  in  the  dark  niglit  to  sing  'His 
song.' " 

Not  the  Spirit's  work  in  her,  but  Christ's  work 
for  her,  was  still  the  object  of  her  daily  thouglit.  "  I 
often  feel,"  she  writes,  "  that  we  go  tossing  about  on 
the  tides  of  Christian  experience,  which  are  for  ever 
fluctuating,  instead  of  lying  peacefully  at  anchor  on 
the  Rock  of  Ages."  And  iu  another  letter,  of 
March  6  :  "I  cannot  find  a  single  instance  in 
which,  either  in  tlie  Gospels  or  in  the  Epistles, 
Chrir^tians  are  taught  by  example  or  by  precept  to 
make  a  study  of  their  own  hearts.  I  cannot  help 
thinking  that  Christian  experience  has  far  too  much 
taken  the  place  of  the  study  of  Christ  and  of  the 
character  of  God,  and  that  this  accounts  in  great 
measure  for  the  low  and  desponding  state  of  so  very 
many  Christians.  Do  you  not  think  that  the  con- 
stant study  of  His  character  would  far  more  effec- 
tually teach  us  our  dejiravity  than  poring  into  our 
own  ?" 

And  on  March  30  :  "  This  morning,  under  some 
peculiarly  trying  circumstances,  those  words,  '  lie 
careful  for  nothing^  came  home  to  me  with  such  fresh 
power!  I  believe  that,  in  the  very  act  of  making 
everything  known  to  God,  His  peace  fills  our  souls. 
Have  you  ever  noticed  that  joy  and  peace  are  the 
two  things  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  bring — 'on 
earth  peace,' 'glad  tidings  of  great  joy  ?'  And  they 
are  the  two  things  which,  during  His  last  conversa- 
tions with  His  disciples,  He  seemed  most  specially 
tc  have  on  His  mind — '  These  things  have  I  spoken 


"CHRIST     FIRST,    THE     CHURCH     NEXT."    l75 

unto  you,  that  in  me  ye  might  have  peace  ;'  '  These 
things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy  in  you 
might  remain,  and  that  your  joy  in  me  might  be  full.' 
(This  last  verse  is  literally  rendered  from  the  original.) 
So  these  are  the  two  things  I  would  especially  desire 
for  you  as  your  purchased  right  and  privilege  to  enjoy 
in  Jesus." 

Adelaide  was,  by  birth  and  education,  and  also  by 
enlightened  attachment,  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
England.  But  "  Christ  first,  the  Church  next,"  was 
her  guiding  maxim ;  and  the  more  she  frequented 
"  the  light,"  the  more  did  the  two  objects  assume 
their  due  proportions.  "  As  to  our  own  Church," 
she  writes,  on  April  2  (1850),  "in  what  a  fearful 
state  it  is  in  Devonshire  !  What  should  we  do  but 
for  the  assurance, '  The  government  shall  be  upon  His 
sliouMers  V  I  think  the  Chnrch  is  merging  her 
character  of  Christ's  bride  into  that  of  an  ecclesias- 
tical body ;  and  I  see  no  remedy  but  for  each  member 
individually  to  seek  to  belong  to  it  rather  in  the 
former  sense  than  in  the  latter — a  bride  in  com- 
munion with  her  Beloved — a  believer  panting  after 
secret  intercourse  with  Jesus.  May  each  of  us  enter 
closer  into  Him,  and  hide  us  deeper  in  Him  !  So  we 
shall  be  safe,  come  what  will." 

Her  forthcoming  book  she  refers  to,  on  April  15, 
thus  :  "  Will  you  take  the  burden  of  this  work  and 
cast  it  on  the  Lord  for  me  ?  Tell  Him  the  book  is 
His — written  with  His  time,  His  teaching,  IL's  talents, 
by  one  whose  purchased  property  it  all  is.  Certainly 
there  is  a  vast  mixture  of  sinful  infirmity  to  mar  and 


176  M  E  M  OIK      O  !•      A  .      L .      N  K  W  TON. 

(Jetile  it ;  but  then  He  chooses  base  things.  So 
yon  see,  I  draw  conitoit  from  my  baseness!  Do  im- 
plore His  blessing  on  it  for  me."  If  works  done  in 
His  service  were  oftener  gone  about  in  this  way,  we 
should  seldomer  hear  of  blunt  sickles  and  sheafless 
reapers. 

And,  in  the  same  letter,  she  says  :  "  I  have  heard 

from  dear .     She  sent  me  two  half-slM.'ets  full — 

very  kind,  and  to  me  very  hopeful.  Not  a  word  of 
actual  religion  ;  but  then,  you  know,  she  is  not  one 
to  profess  even  what  she  feels.  And  throughout  it 
there  is  to  me  an  evident  consciousness  that  her 
whole  way  of  living  is  wrong  and  unsatisfying,  and 
that  she  does  not  enjoy  it,  and  can't.  She  declares 
she  likes  me  to  w^-ite  to  her,  and  says  she  would 
write  to  me  if  she  could  say  anything  worth  saying. 
Indeed,  I  do  think  God  is  at  work  with  her,  embit- 
tering the  world  by  degrees.  She  is  giving  up  balls, 
and  wishes  for  quieter  amusements  :  when  she  tries 
these  she  won't  find  them  the  least  more  satisfying : 
and  may  we  not  well  hope  that  in  due  season  she  will 
give  up  seeking  it  anywhere  but  where  it  is  to  bo 
found  ?  He  who  alone  is  able  to  save  her  yearns 
over  her  far  more  fondly  than  you  or  I.  "What  a 
sweet  assurance !" 

Notwithstanding  the  Derbyshire  climate,  her  health 
this  .spring  rather  improved.  "  I  suppose,"  she  says, 
"  I  must  say  a  word  about  the  earthly  hut !  It  has 
weathered  the  severe  winter,  under  the  shelter  of 
'the  shadow  of  the  Almighty,'  most  bravely;  and 
here    I  am    at   home,  better    rather  than   worse.     I 


RELIGIOUS     DISSIPATION,  177 

.ook  on  and  wonder.  God  is  having  Tlis  way,  His 
'  higher'  way  than  mine  ;  and  I  am  waiting  on  Ilim, 
I  hope,  to  know  and  do  His  bidding." 

And  her  soul  flourished  like  the  palm  tree.  "I 
get  calmer  rest  at  times  in  His  love  than  ever 
before,"  she  writes.  "But  I  constantly  feel  that 
conflict  hes  before  me,  and  I  want  verj'  much  to  be 
prepared  for  it.  Have  you  thought  much  about  the 
Evil  One  and  his  associates?  (Eph.  vi.  12 — margin.) 
What  part  of  the  "Word  is  occujiying  you  most  ?  Is 
it  not  sweet  to  be  sitting  under  his  shadow  ?  While 
all  other  shadows  are  so  essentially  '  fleeting,'  with 
Him  there  is  'no  variableness  neither  shadow  of 
turning.'  He  is  at  once  the  Sun,  the  Rock,  and  the 
Shadow.     Precious  Sa\nour !" 

Tlie  bane  of  the  religious  world  is  religious  dissi- 
pation. There  is  not  a  little  gathering  of  the  manna; 
but  there  is  not  much  of  it  eaten.  The  consequence 
is,  a  cry  everywhere  heard,  "  My  leanness,  my  lean 
ness  !"  Dear  Adelaide  escaped  this  snare.  "  I  reckon 
it  one  of  the  greatest  privileges  I  ever  enjoyed,"  she 
writes,  April  15  (1850),  "  to  have  been  taken  out  of 
even  the  busy  religious  world,  anil  led  to  look  into 
the  deep  things  of  God,  which  He  has  so  wonder- 
fully revealed  in  His  word."  It  was  this  earnest, 
personal,  daily  communing  with  God  through  the 
Word,  which  gave  to  her  life  so  healthful  a  tone.  It 
is  the  absence  of  this  intense  individual  meditation 
which,  like  a  canker-worm,  is  eating  out  the  Church's 
Ufe. 

The   sympathy  of  Jesus   was   ever  yielding   her 


1 78  MEMOIR     0  V     A.     L.     NEWTOK. 

fresh  consolation.  "I  should  like  to  send  you,** 
she  write'*  on  April  19,  "a  verse  which  has  been 
comforting  me  very  much  this  week;  for  I  felt 
unusually  weary  for  a  few  days  at  the  beginning  of 
it.  It  is  Matt.  ix.  36  (marff.),  '  When  He  saw  the 
multitudes  He  had  compassion  on  them,  because 
they  were  fired  and  la>/  down!'  If  He  has  still  the 
same  feelings  which  He  had  when  Tie  was  on  earth, 
how  sweet  it  is  to  know  (li;it  His  eye  is  upon  each 
feeble  and  weary  child,  and  that  His  compassion 
can  be  moved  by  the  sight  of  even  our  bodily  tired- 
ness !  Oh !  if  we  couM  but  see  His  look !  how 
feeling  a  look  it  is  !  '  His  eyes  are  as  doves'  eyes. 
Just  fancy  Him,  for  example,  looking  down  from 
the  cross  upon  His  mother — what  a  look  it  must 
ha\'e  been  !" 

"  "NTo,  I  don't  find  it  sohtary,"  said  a  Tuscan  con- 
fessor lately  to  one  who  was  condoling  with  him  on 
his  imprisonment  in  a  cell ;  "I  have  with  me  here 
Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity."  One  of  these  heavenly 
visitors  Adelaide  especially  prized.  "  I  have  been 
searching  out  texts  on  'Hope,'"  she  writes  on 
April  30;  "they  are  so  beautiful,  and  it  seems  to 
me  a.  grace  so  very  litle  cultivated  and  sought  after  ! 
Yft  surely  it  is  one  for  the  advancing  believer  to  bn 
abounding  in,  just  in  proportion  as  he  is  '  filled  with 
joy  and  peace  in  believing.'  There  is  such  certainty 
in  the  Scripture-meaning  of  '  hope  ;'  and  I  think 
the  real  meaning  of  Kom.  viii.  24  is  so  precious, 
though  our  translation  dims  it — '  We  aie  upheld  by 
hope  ? " 


"sealing"    and    "witnessing."     179 

"With  a  singular  precision  we  find  her  defining  the 
liible-teaching  upon  another  subject,  thus:  "Did  1 
ask  you  if  you  had  ever  thought  of  the  '  sealing'  and 
'  witnessing'  of  the  Spirit  ?  A  Scotch  fiiend  asked 
me  about  it,  thinking  they  were  the  same ;  but  I 
Bee  manifold  differences,  one  especially,  that  the 
'sealing'  is  a  past  and  fiuished  work  in  its  main 
sense,  whilst  the  '  witnessing'  is  the  Spirit's  present 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  all  that  God  has  testified 
about  Jesus — a  daily  taking  of  the  things  of  Christ 
and  showing  them  to  us," 

Her  heart  was  thus  drawn  away  from  itself 
entirely,  and  was  fixed  exclusively  upon  the  Word. 
"My  text  for  you,"  she  writes  oi\  April  30,  "is, 
'  I  hope  in  thy  Word.'  I  do  so  like  the  naked  pro- 
mise or  bare  Word  of  God  to  be  made  the  stay  of 
the  soul.  How  very,  very  little  we  think  what  it  is 
to  rely  on  that  Word  with  such  excessive  caution,  as 
if  we  nmst  be  careful  how  far  we  trust  it !  It  is 
surely  making  God  a  liar  to  doubt  it.  I  sometimes 
think  we  look  upon  a  certain  kind  of  unbelief  as 
humility,  whereas  to  doubt  the  truth  of  the  words, 
•  He  that  hath  the  Son,  hath  Ufe^  is  as  great  unbe- 
lief as  to  doubt  that  '  him  that  cometh  unto  me,  I 
will  in  nowise  cast  out.'  Oh  !  how  little  we  seem  to 
have  learned  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  when  He 
has  been  years  in  teaching  us !  there  is  so  little 
'ivachiug  forth  unto  things  before  !' ' 

Tersteegen  has  finely  said,  that  "  the  first  poison 
which  steals  into  faithful  souls  is,  that  they  impercep- 
tibly place  their  righteousness  and  their  confidence 


180  M  E  M  0  I  U     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

in  their  fidelity,  iu  selt'-deiiial,  in  their  \irtues  and 
graces,  in  their  devotional  exercises,  and  not  entirely 
in  God  alone.  The  Savionr  then  opens  our  eyes,  as 
with  our  own  cluy ;  and  thus  Ilis  wonder-working 
hand  has  alone  the  glory,  and  we  the  shame."  "  I 
do  really  believe,"  Adelaide  writes  on  May  1,  "  that  it 
is  God's  grand  aim  to  humble  and  empty  us ;  and  to 
be  emptied  of  fancied  religiousness  is  the  most  pain- 
ful lesson,  I  think,  one  can  learn.  Since  we  cannot 
keej)  our  hearts  low,  God  keeps  us  in  a  low  condi- 
tion ;  and  perhaps  we  are  never  so  truly  living  on 
Him  as  when  we  feel  to  lie  lowest." 

And  she  adds  :  "  I  have  been  thinking  very  much 
lately  about  Christ  being  '  made  to  us  sanctification.' 
Don't  you  think  we  are  very  apt  to  look  to  His 
death  on  the  cross  as  if  our  whole  salvation  lay  wrapt 
up  in  it  alone — forgetting  that  His  death  only  put 
away  our  sin,  ajid  that,  if  we  want  holiness,  it  is  to 
the  thirty-three  years  of  his  life  that  we  must  turn  ? 
I  can  give  you  no  idea  of  the  comfort  it  has  been  to 
me,  when  feeling  I  could  neither  pray,  nor  love,  nor 
believe,  nor  do  anything,  to  plead  all  these  things  as 
perfectly  performed  by  Christ  for  me."  And  else- 
^  where  she  adds :  "  Seriously  I  do  think  that  many 
Christians  take  Christ  only  as  half  a  Saviour  ;  they 
so  little  realize  that  it  is  His  faith,  His  obedience, 
His  everything  through  life,  which  is  to  be  plca<led 
as  ours,  as  well  as  His  death  and  resurrection." 

Alluding  to  a  deeply-tried  saint  at  Torquay,  ^he 
writes,  on  May  3  :  "  How  wonderfully  some  people 
are  detained  in  their  clay  prisons !     And  yet  only 


''THE     C  H  U  R  C  a     P  E  R  F  E  C  T  E  U  ,"  181 

that  God  may  get  Himself  more  glory  at  the  appear- 
ing of  Jesus  Christ !  Perhaps  none  will  join  as  cor- 
dially in  the  praises  of  'the  great  congregation'  in 
glory  as  those  who  have  had  most  here  to  be  deliver- 
ed from.  Oh  !  the  depth  of  the  riches  of  God's  wis- 
dom, and  knowledge,  and  love  !     Oh,  dear ,  we 

shall  never  get  to  the  bottom  of  that  depth — never, 
never  !  It  is  a  marvel  to  be  on  the  brink  of  being 
swallowed  up  in  it !" 

And,  in  another  letter,  speaking  of  Jesus  as  "  the 
leader  of  His  people's  praises  in  glory,"  she  says : 
"  Surely  His  praises  in  '  the  great  congregation,'  so 
often  referred  to  in  the  Psalms,  must  ultimately  mean 
'  t\u  Church  perfected.'  And  how  sweet  it  is  to  feei\ 
ihat  He  will  then  be  able  to  take  the  lead  in  every  ; 
song  of  praise  which  any  of  us  can  sing,  as  having 
personally  known  every  trouble  from  which  we  cai^^ 
praise  God  for  being  delivered  !" 

A  schoolfelloAV,  after  seeking  rest  in  intense  world- 
liness,  had  begun  to  seek  it  in  Kitualism.  "  Don't 
let  it  distress  you,"  she  writes  to  a  mutual  friend  con- 
cerning her  :  "  she  will  perhaps  try  formal  religion 
as  she  has  the  world.  The  latter  has  already  dis- 
gusted her,  I  hoi)e  ;  and  '  in  due  season'  I  hope  the 
former  will,  still  more.  How  many  try  everything 
but  the  right  thing,  till,  when  everything  else  has 
failed,  they  are  just  driven  to  it  of  absolute  necessity  ! 
Go  on  taking  her  to  Christ  to  be  healed  ;  and  so 
surely  as  He  never  sent  away  one  sickly,  miserable 
body  unl  ealed  on  earth,  so  surely  do  I  believe  He 
will  send  away  no  sick  soul  unhealed  in  heaven,  but 
16 


182  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

still  He  keeps  saying,  '  If  thou  canst  believe,  ali 
things  are  possible.' " 

And  to  another  schoolfellow,  on  hcv  mavriage  : 
•*  Though  YOU  are  not  to  read  this  to-morrow,  it  will 
show  you,  by  its  outside  merely,  that  '  the  day'  is  not 
forguften.  I  send  you  some  texts  as  a  very  tiny  and 
humble  reojembrance  of  it.  I  know  you  value  God's 
Word  above  gold  and  fine  gold,  and  the  adorning 
wliioh  is  of  such  great  pri(;e  in  His  sight,  far  more 
tlian  any  little  thing  I  could  have  sent  you  to  adorn 
a  poor  perishing  body  of  clayl  When  our  days  on 
the  earth  have  passed  away  like  a  dream,  and  our 
outward  adorning  has  decayed  and  waxed  old,  we 
shall  still  be  living  witnesses,  I  trust,  of  the  great 
realities  and  joys  of  eteinity  !  clothed  with  immor- 
tality !  covered  with  the  robe  of  righteousness !  ar- 
rayed in  puie  white  linen  robes  !  beautified  with  sal- 
vation, and  crowned  with  life  and  glory  !  Our  road 
to  all  that  lies  through  much  tribulation  ;  but  Christ's 
])resence  by  the  way  tinges  every  dark  cloud  with 
brightness,  and  throws  a  sacred  light  on  every  step 

we  take.     So,  now,  dearest  A ,  I  sum  up  my  best 

wishes  for  you  in  the  heartfelt  desire  that  His  pre- 
sence may  shine  on  you  all  through  your  journey, 
and  crown  your  journey's  end." 

I"  Hewitson  remarked  one  day — "  I  am  better  ac- 
I  quainted  with  Jesus  than  with  any  friend  I  have  on 
earth."  Dear  Adelaide's  Christian  life  gra.lually 
assumed  more  and  more  of  this  hue.  "Try  to  culti- 
vate," she  writes  on  May  15  (1850),  "the  thought  of 
Jesus  as  a  personal  Friend — a  real,  true,  living  Per- 


THE     II  O  L  Y     SPIRIT.  183 

son ; — j  ist  as  truly  so  in  heaven  at  this  moment  as  I 
a.m  in  this  room.  You  don't  see  either  of  us ;  but 
you  know  I  am  here,  and  you  can  think  of  me ;  so 
you  know  He  is  there,  and  you  can  think  of  Hi  in. 
Only  with  this  vast  and  unspeakably  precious  diftbr- 
en<;e,  that  you  can  only  hold  intercourse  with  me  at 
intervals,  and  by  letters  or  messages  through  other 
people,  but  you  can  always  hold  intercourse  with 
Him,  at  any  moment,  and  without  any  medium  for 
it  to  pa'^s  through. 

"  Oh  !  the  mystery,"  she  continues,  "  is  to  my 
mind  so  intensely  wonderful  and  so  sweet,  of  God's 
Sj)irit  dwelling  at  once  in  Christ  and  in  us,  so  that 
we  have  literally  actual  personal  communion  both 
with  the  Father  and  with  His  Son,  through  the  one 
Spirit  which  dwells  in  us  all.  It  would  be  frightful 
to  dare  to  think  or  speak  of  it,  if  it  wei'c  not  so 
jylainlv  revealed  ;  but  now,  I  think,  it  is  our  privilege 
to  know  it — and  our  own  fault  if  we  don't,  because 
God  says  he  is  willing  to  give  the  Holy  Spiiit  to  all 
that  ask  for  it ;  and  1  ('(-r.  ii.  9—16  teaches  us  what 
amazing  things  we  may  know  if  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
our  Teacher." 

And  she  adds  :  "  This  is  a  secret  work,  just  such 
as  vou  want.  No  one  need  know  of  it  but  yourself 
and  your  Father  which  seeth  in  secret.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  the  more  you  make  Jesus  your  most  in- 
timate Friend,  breathing  out  all  your  secret  thoughts 
into  His  ear  by  the  Spirit  (or  the  breath  of  life),  the 
more  you  will  find  that  gloomy  forebodings  vanish-— 
vou  will  forget  them,  not  by  trying  to  do  so,  but  by 
bciug  pre-occupi?d   with    weightier  matters.      And 


184  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEW 'JOS. 

you  will  never  regret  going  to ,  to  be  much  alone 

perhaps  with  the  unseen  God — it'  it  be,  as  I  hope  it 
will  be,  a  time  for  leading  you  to  your  Bible,  in  which 
your  spirit  may  meet  God's  Spint,  and  your  solitude 
be  exchanged  tor  the  sweetest  conversations  that  can 
be  enjoyed  on  earth — those,  viz.,  between  God  and 
your  own  soul." 

Her  "Commentary  on  tlie  Song"  appeared  at  the 
end  of  May,  and  was  very  favourably  received.  "  I 
feel  thankful  to  God,"  she  writes  on  June  17,  "for 
making  my  book  of  the  least  use.  It  was  a  bold 
step,  certainly — such  a  writer,  on  such  a  subject! 
But  God  chooses  weak  things  and  base  things,  hiding 
His  counsels  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  reveal- 
ing them  unto  babes.  And  if  He  choose  to  make  me 
one  of  those  babes,  He  had  a  right  to  do  so,  and  vill 
got  Himself  glory  in  the  act." 

The  "  babe"  appeared  in  other  ways  also.  "  I 
used  to  write  with  great  enjoyment  to  myself,"  she 
says ;  "  but  I'm  afraid  a  secret  self-satisfaction  in  so 
doing  had  crept  over  me,  for  lately  I  have  been 
peculiarly  humbled  in  this  particular  way.  Even 
the  enjoyment  of  His  own  Word  God  has  shown  me 
to  be  a  thing  I  cannot  have  just  when  and  as  /  will, 
but  purely  by  the  gift  of  free,  sovereign  grace,  to  be 
bestowed  when  and  as  God  sees  best  for  me.  It  has 
been  just  the  same  with  prayer,  and  in  short  with 
everything.  I  seem  to  be  beginning  to  find  out  the 
bitter  and  painfully  humbling  reality  that  I  am  lite- 
rally reduced  to  the  condition  of  a  beggar.  Oh  !  will 
you  ask  especially  for  me  more  of  that  love  which 
vauiitcth  not  itself  and  is  not  puffed  up?" 


CH/IPTER    XII. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Church's  Hfe  is  a  perpetual 
resurrection — an  incessant  coming  forth  from  the 
tomb.     Daily  dying,  she  daily  lives. 

"  Have  you  ever  thought  particularly,"  Adelaide 
writes.  May  22  (1850),  "of  2  Cor.  i.  6  ?  It  has 
struck  me  so  much  to-day,  our  salvation  being 
'wrought'  {marg.)  'in  the  enduiing  of  the  same  suf- 
ferings' which  the  apostles  suffered.  I  do  think  people 
make  '  suffering'  to  mean  too  much  and  too  often 
bodily  sufferings.  We  don't  read  of  the  sufferings 
of  the  apostles  in  illness,  but  in  bearing  or  doing  the 
Lord's  work  :  and  the  more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  I 
feel,  what  I  used  to  feel  when  I  was  so  ill,  that  the 
bodily  part  was  not  the  prominent  part  m  God's  eye 
even  then.  It  was  the  struggle  betwixt  my  will  and 
Ilis  will ;  and  it  is  the  same  still.  Indeed,  I  feel  we 
make  too  much  of  these  botlies  at  all  times — pam- 
pering them  Avith  sensual  indulgences  when  well, 
and,  when  ill,  taking  fresh  occasion  therefrom  to 
serve  the  flesh  !  But  it  seems  to  me  that  the  mental 
conflicts,  whether  in  trial  or  in  prosperity,  are  the 
sufferings  which  work  so  nuich  for  our  salvation.  I 
am  very  much  trio<l  in  some  ways  mentally — I  feel  so 
Ifj* 


ISO  M  E  M  0  I  U     OK     A  .     I. .     N  K  \V   7  0  \  . 

Ptn;Tn:mt!  but  I  am  able  to  rcjoiv-e  iii  wlmt  Goil  is, 
and  I  hope  all  this  is  to  humble  iik',  and  to  lay  me 
and  keep  me  low." 

The  Lord  continued  to  use  her  as  a  labourer  in 
His  fields.  "  I  have  just  had  a  most  encouraging 
letter,"  she  writes,  "from  an  invalid  cousin,  Avho  has 
long  been  in  search  of  lioliness,  but  looked  for  it  in 
herself  rather  tlian  in  Christ  for  her.  I  hope  I  have 
been  the  hand  to  hold  the  pen  to  say  what  God  had 
to  be  said  to  her.  Oh  !  how  intensely  one  is  made 
to  feel  that  we  are  no  more  than  the  instrument 
through  which  God  the  Spirit  speaks  !  We  may 
talk  endlessly,  and  in  vain  ;  but  He  speak'',  and  it  is 
done." 

Fresli  thoughts  on  the  Word  rose  day  by  day. 
"  I  send  you  Ps.  xxxv.  1-3,"  she  writes  to  one  of 
her  sisters,  June  20.  "  Fancy  asking  God  to  take 
hold  of  shield  and  buckler,  and  stand  up  for  us  I  as 
if  our  ai-mour  must  be  in  His  hands,  not  in  ours ! 
This  so  comforted  me.  And  those  words  in  v.  3 — 
'Say  unto  my  soul,  I  am  thy  salvation  !'  It  seems 
to  uie  one  of  the  most  comprehensive  prayers  in  the 
Bible  ;  and  so  beautifully  unlike  the  g.ioler's  '  AVhat 
must  I  do  to  be  saved?'  So  self-renouncing,  and  so 
Chnst-exaltiug !  Oh  !  for  more  of  tliis  spiiit !  Never 
do  we  feel  so  safe,  I  am  sure.  '  ]3ehold,  God  is  my 
salvation ;  I  will  trust,'  &c.  Then  wc  are  happy,  let 
what  will  fail  besides." 

Like  the  heliotrope,  occupying  itself  hourly  with 
the  sun,  Adelaide  occupied  herself  hourly  with  Christ, 
"  I  have  been  greatly  enjoying  the  beginning  of  the 


"  S  E  E  T  N  G     J  E  S  U  8 ."  187 

first  epistle  of  John,"  slie  writes.  "  One  is  struck 
with  the  ;ill-ab?orbiiig  theme  iu  the  apostle's  inind — 
no  truth  nor  doctrine,  but  Jesus.  And  the  way  in 
which  lie  introduces  Him — 'That  wliic.li  was  from 
the  beginning !'  It  seems  a  natural  and  favourite 
train  of  thought,  for  he  began  his  Gospel  in  the  same 
way.  Intimate  as  he  bad  been  with  Jesus  as  the 
Son  of  man,  he  loved  to  go  further  back  and  think 
of  Him  as  the  eternal  Son  of  the  Father.  It  would 
seem  as  if  Jesus  loved  to  go  back  in  thought  to  the 
same  point — see  Prov.  viii.  22-31,  where  He  declares 
that,  in  the  beginning,  He  was  rejoicing  always  be- 
fore God.  So  that  it  is  just  a  proof  how  John  had 
caught  his  Master's  spirit." 

"xVnd  then,"  she  proceeds,  " '  which  we  have  seen 
willi  our  eyes.'  Jesus  said  that  His  disciples  were  to 
be  His  'witnesses'  (John  xv.  27);  and  John  could 
der  [are  that  it  was  no  delusive  imagination,  but 
ac*^ual  reality,  what  be  had  seen  (i,  14.)  He  had 
se^n  the  sufferings  of  Gethsemane,  the  scenes  iu  the 
palace  of  Caiajihns,  the  death  on  the  cross,  the  empty 
s-'puk-hre  (xx.  8),  and  his  risen  Saviour  (xx.  20,  25, 
29).  Therefore,  he  could  speak  with  all  the  holy 
confidence  of  a  man  knowing  that  he  has  the  truth 
on  hi  5  side  (xix.  35).  But  his  tender  spirit  was  not 
contcat  to  bear  so  cold  and  heartless  a  testimony; 
so  he  added — 'Which  we  have  looked  upon,'  as 
though  his  heart  had  moved  him  to  gaze,  to  watch, 
to  look  with  eager  eye !  As,  for  instance,  when  he 
heard  Jesus  say  from  the  cross, '  Heboid  tliy  mother!' 
could  he  ever  forget  how  he  had  looked  up  to  Jesus, 


1 88  M  !■;  M  U  I  U     OK     A  .     L .     N  li  W  TON. 

while  Jesiis  looked  down  upon  him  ?  He  seemed, 
too,  to  notice  the  very  minutest  actions  of  Josus, 
twice  recording  of  Him  that  in  prayer  He  '  lifted  up 
nis  eyes'  (xi.  41  and  xviii.  1).  It  reminds  one  of 
our  eyes  waiting  on  the  Lord,  as  David  says,  in  Ps. 
cxxiii.  2. 

"  Then  it  follows,"  she  continues,  "  'And  our  hands 
have  handled.^  Is  not  this  very  precious  experience  ? 
as  if  the  '  beloved'  disciples  of  Jesus  could  never  be 
content  with  anything  short  of  direct  personal  con- 
tact with  Ilim.  He  might  have  been  heard  and 
seen,  and  even  looked  upon,  at  a  little  distance,  just 
as  when  Ziccheus  was  in  the  sycamore-tree  he  could 
hear  Him,  see  Him,  and  even  look  down  upon  Him, 
with  ardent  delight ;  but  it  was  as  nothing  to  the  joy 
of  receiving  Him  into  His  own  house  !  This  is  some- 
thing nearer  and  dearer,  involving  the  intimacy  of 
personal  intercourse.  Mary  might  have  tasted  it, 
when  she  'sat  at  His  feet;'  and  the  poor  sinner,  in 
the  Pharisee's  house,  when  she  waslieJ  His  feet  with 
her  tears  and  Aviped  them  with  the  hair  of  her  head ; 
ami  Simeon,  when  he  took  up  '  the  child  Jesus  in 
his  arms  ;'  and  the  poor  trembling,  woman  who  came 
behind  Him  and  touched  the  border  of  His  garment 
and  was  cured.  But  John,  more  emphatically  than 
any  other,  enjoyed  the  precious  privilege,  'leaning 
on  Ilis  bosom.'  None  so  'handled'  Him  besides,  or 
had  that  place  on  His  heart." 

And  she  adds :  "  There  are  wonderful  thoughts 
connected  also  with  the  expression,  '  the  Word  of 
life.'     Life  being  so  clothed  in  human  form  as  to  be 


THE     "climax     of     W  O  N  P  K  U  ."  189 

rendered  visihlc  and  capable  of  being  'handled.' 
Jesus,  too,  being  the  expression  of  God — '  tlu^  Word 
of  God.'  (Rev.  xix.  13;  John  i.  1,  &c.)  It  has 
seemed  to  me  as  if  John  f^'lt  that  he  had  been  utter- 
ing thoughts  so  deep,  that  they  aliuost  needed  a  word 
of  explanation  (in  the  second  verse  of  the  epistle, 
which  he  adds  in  a  parenthesis).  Do  you  think  it  is 
so  1  I  like  to  think  of  iiis  nameless  wav  of  speak- 
ing about  Jesus — '  That  which  was  from  the  begin- 
ning ;'  and,  '  That  which  we  have  seen  and  heard :' 
it  is  all  Jesus  ;  and  it  is  not  so  much  His  words,  or 
His  actions,  as  Himself — '  My  meditation  of  Him 
shall  be  sweet.'  And  truly  our  fellowship  is  with 
the  Father  and  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ.'  I  don't 
think  I  know  any  text  in  the  Bible  to  link  with  this 
one,  except  the  '  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost.' 
It  does  seem  to  me  such  a  climax  of  wonder. 
Only  John  xvii.  equals  it,  I  think — 'As  thou,  Father, 
art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one 
in  us.'  Is  it  not  too  much  for  language  to  give 
utterance  to  ?" 

And  to  another,  on  July  2  (1850)  :  "How  glad 
I  was  to  hear  you  say  you  felt  happier  by  looking 
more  to  Jesus  !  A  nice  young  woman  came  to  see 
me  the  other  evening;  and,  as  she  was  alluding  to 
her  lonely  position,  without  father,  mother,  brother, 
or  sister — and  often  finding  herself  misunderstood 
(she  is  so  very  shy)  and  thought  distant  when  she 
meant  to  be  kind — she  suddenly  stopped,  and  said, 
'  But  I  tell  Him  all  about  it,  and  that  always  takes 
the  weight  off  me.'     I  thought  it  was  so  very  simple, 


1 90  M  E  M  O  I  K     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

Oh !  that  we  did  but  know  more  of  the  simplicitj 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus!  It  often  strikes  me  so 
peculiarly  about  faith.  People  puzzling  tlicmselvea 
so,  to  know  whether  tliey  are  acting  faith  or  not; 
whilst,  if  they  were  looking  at  Jesus,  they  would  be 
believing,  probably  without  knowing  it,  and  every 
look  at  Him  wou.d  be  strengthening  their  faith.  I 
'think  we  often  lose  immensely  by  studying  doctrines 
/  and  principles  instead  of  a  living  Christ,  He  is  the 
image  of  the  invisible  God,  and  the  very  essence  of 
heaven's  happiness.  Have  you  ever  traced  Him  in 
the  Gospels  (Luke  especially),  as  betraying  in  every- 
thing He  said  or  did  such  extreme  loveliness  of  cha- 
racter? It  seems  to  me  to  draw  out  our  feelings  of 
love  and  adoration  towards  Him  in  return — often, 
j)erhaps,  insensibly  at  the  time,  but  very  really." 

And  again,  on  July  16  :  "Do  you  know  a  sweet 
httle  hymn,  beginning, 

"  'Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee ;  nearer  to  Thee'  ? 

I  am  so  very  fond  of  it.  All  day  long,  my  heart 
seems  to  be  panting  after  nearness  to  Jesus.  Oh ! 
what  will  heaven  be — to  be  with  the  Lord  !'  But 
do  you  not  think  that  we  miglit  krow  a  great  deal 
of  heaven  upon  earth,  if  we  only  walked  more  closely 
with  God  ?  if  our  eyes  were  spiritually  open  to  see 
His  beauty  all  the  day  long,  and  our  ears  spiritually 
open  to  hear  all  He  has  to  say  to  us  in  His  Word  ?" 
And  she  adds :  "  It  is  veiy  much  on  my  mind 
just  now,  that  wc  do  not  think  enough  of  the  blood, 
of  Christ.     Under  the  Old .  Testament  dispensation, 


COVENANT-GOD     IN     CHRIST.  191 

it  was  the  one  thiug  they  had  to  think  of  ever)-  day ; 
and  in  heaven  we  know  we  shall  be  ever  singing, 
'  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  :'  and  our  con- 
duct here  as  Christians  does  not  seem  to  agree  with 
all  this — do  you  think  it  does  ?" 

The  day  before  he  died,  Samuel  Rutherford  gave 
to  some  brethren  who  visited  him,  this  cliargo  : 
"  My  Lord  and  Master  is  the  chief  of  ten  tliousand 
of  thousands;  none  is  conaparable  to  Ilim  in  heaven 
or  on  earth.  Dear  brethren,  do  all  for  Him;  pray 
for  Christ,  preach  for  Christ,  feed  the  flock  com- 
mitted to  your  charge  for  Christ,  do  all  for  Christ !" 
Dear  Adelaide,  rejoicing  in  this  self-consecration, 
wi-ites   (July   18):  "Oh!  it   is  indeed   sweet,   dear 

L ,  to  lay  ourselves  out  in   the  service  of  our 

covenant-God  in  Christ.  I  am  certain  none  can  ever 
regret  the  time,  or  health,  or  life  so  spent.  Each  one, 
in  our  different  spheres,  must  spend  it  differently; 
but  if  laid  out  honestly  '  to  the  Lord,'  it  shall  as- 
suredly be  abundantly  repaid  us,  in  time  as  well  as 
hereafter.  I,  for  instance,  can  no  longer  visit  the 
poor  and  read  to  thera  as  I  once  did  ;  God  demands 
a  different  service  from  me  now.  But  still  lie  finds 
me  work  of  some  kind  or  other  to  do  every  day.  I 
can  say  a  word  for  Him  in  a  letter ;  or,  as  oppor- 
tunity offers,  I  can  speak  to  the  servants ;  or  I  can 
talk  of  Him,  and  tell  out  what  I  learn  of  Him,  to  my 
sisters  or  to  visitors.  This  last  was  une  of  my  chief 
opportunities  at  Torquay." 

"  It  is  often  extremely  difficult,"  she  adds,  "  to  feel 
inclined  for  this  one's-self,  and  perhaps  even  move  so 


192  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L.     NEWTON. 

to  have  courage  to  introduce  it  with  others;  but  if 
you  will  give  me  leave  to  say  it,  I  do  believe  that  all 
these  difficulties  vanish  and  fade  away  in  propoi-tion 
as  'the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us'  to  live  hence- 
turth  not  to  ourselves  but  to  Him.  They  are  won- 
derfully cleared  away  for  us,  too,  by  ]irayer — spread- 
ing  them  out  before  God,  as  Hezekiali  did  his  letter 
ifroin  Sennacherib.  He  can  and  often  does,  I  am  sure, 
open  ways  for  us  to  speak  and  act  for  Ilini,  when  we 
may  or  may  not  look  out  for  them — provided  only 
we  ask  Him  each  day  to  teach  us  what  He  will  have 
us  to  do.  Only  tell  Him  you  wish  Him  to  employ 
you,  and  He  will  soon  give  you  enough  to  do." 

A  man  in  understanding,  an  infant  in  heart !  The 
child  occupies  itself  with  its  father — expects  every- 
thing from  him.  "My  father  loves  me:"  what  more 
is  needed  to  make  the  little  child — itself  so  poor — 
rich  in  all  its  f;ither's  treasures^  This  infancy  of 
the  heart  led  forth  dear  Adelaide  daily,  with  a  new 
simplicity  and  a  new  confidence,  upon  Him  who  had 
loved  her  and  given  Himself  for  her.  Sending  a 
message,  on  July  29,  to  a  friend  who  was  "  still 
troubled  by  looking  inwards,"  she  says:  "  My  book 
on  Solomon's  Song  might  cure  her  of  that  habit  cf 
looking  at  hei'self,  not  by  telling  her  not  to  do  it,  bnt 
by  bewitching  her  with  Christ's  loveliness.  Don't  be 
shocked  at  my  recommending  it ;  for  it  just  says 
(without  saying  so)  what  cured  me  of  a  like  habit. 

r)(?ar was  the  l)lessed  insti'ument  of  making  mo 

quite  forget  myself  by  looking  at  God  in  Christ;  and 
I   hope  God  will  bless  that  book  io  the  same  end. 


T  Hf  !■:     "  D  O  C  T  R  I  N  K     0  V      f :  E  W  A  R  D ."         1  93 

'  INfy  soul  hangeth  upon  Tlice,'  are  words  which  I 
can  truly  enter  into  just  now.  Self  is  sinking  lower, 
an  I  Christ  is  getting  more  of  His  right  place,  though 
i:  is  rather  through  humbling  thau  through  happy 
oxperience." 

On  another  subject  she  writes,  August  13,  thus: 
'i  I  am  enjoying  your  dear  uncle's  book, '  The  Church 
and  the  Churches,'  most  exceedingly  just  now.  I 
was  reading  yesterday  his  chapter  on  '  Holiness,'  and 
\v;!S  more  than  ever  struck  with  that  wonderful  doc- 
trine of  Reward.  How  sweet  it  is  to  feel  ourselves 
as  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  trusting  that  for 
His  own  glory  He  will  fashion  us  into  beautiful  ves- 
sels— '  vessels  imto  honour  !'  emptied  of  self,  and 
tilled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God !  Oh  1  how  one 
dreads  to  mar  the  beauty  of  His  work,  by  defiling 
that  temple  of  God  !" 

And  on  Aug.  17  :  "  Let  me  send  you  Hos.  ii.  19, 
20,  with  the  thought  especially,  that  it  is  Jesus  who 
betrothes  you,  and  not  you  Him — so  that  the  thing 
is,  to  question  His  love  to  you,  not  your  love  to  Him  ; 
and  of  His  love  there  cannot  well  be  any  room  to 
doubt — can  there  ?" 

And  on  Sept.  2  :  "  I  am  certain  we  need  great 
variety  of  discipline  ;  and  we  get  it — illness,  health, 
mental  trial,  family  trial,  great  outward  things,  and 
nmltitudinous  tiny,  inward,  fretting,  sort  of  things — 
yes,  all  sorts,  to  show  us  what  constant  need  we  have 
of  all-sufficient  grace,  and  what  innate  propensities 
there  are  in  us  to  be  always  starting  off  from  a  life 
of  faith  tr>  a  lifr  of  siofht.     Oh  I  the   power  of  seen 


194  M  li  M  O  1  U      OF      A .      1        S  £  \V  TON. 

things  !  I  think  one  of  the  great  lessons  I  have  been 
learning  out  is  my  exceeding  sinfulness — not  the  sin 
of  transgression,  so  much  as  the  sin  of  my  nature, 
my  leprous  state." 

Not  boastfully,  but  in  humble  thankfulness,  she 
wiites,  Oct.  1  :  "  I  thank  my  God  for  all  j'ou  say 
about  my  book ;  an  .1  I  can't  tell  you  how  many  en- 
couraging testimonies  He  has  given  me  of  His  hav- 
ing spoken  through  it  many  a  word  in  season.  It 
has  been  chiefly  blessed,  I  think,  in  showing  tried 
Christians  how  perfect  and  complete  they  are  in 
Jesus,  drawing  off  their  thoughts  from  themselves 
almost  insensibly.  One,  in  particular,  said  that 
whilst  she  was  enduring  the  most  intense  agony  fi  cm 
'  tic  douloureux'  all  ovc-r  her,  it  seemed  'exactly  the 
cordial  she  needed.'  But  I  need  not  multiply  in- 
stances :  if  Jesus  gets  a  ray  of  glory  through  it,  'tis 
enough." 

And  to  another  :  "  I  have  been  very  deeply  in- 
terested lately  in  '  Owen  on  Hebrews :'  it  has  led 
me  to  see  beauties  and  a  preciousness  in  the  priestly 
character  and  work  of  Christ  which  I  never  thought 
of  before.  One  short  sentence  struck  me  exceed- 
ingly— '  The  want  of  living  up  to  this  truth  (His 
priestly  intercession)  evacuates  the  religion  of  most 
men  in  the  world.'  But  after  all,"  she  adds,  "  I  find 
nothing  like  the  Bible  itself.  There  one  seems  to 
hear  the  whis{)ers  of  God's  own  Spirit,  breathing 
through  His  own  very  words.  And  it  all  tells  of 
Jesus;  and  noiliing  is  put  betwixt  us  and  Him. 
We  ourselves,  as  His  peculiar  people,  are  His  holy 


THE    "tide    of    nature."  195 

priesthood  ;  and  Jesus  is  our  great  High  Priest ;  and 
we  go  direct  to  Ilim  with  the  acceptable  sacrifice  of 
a  broken  and  contrite  spirit.  And  oh  !  how  happy 
the  hours  and  moments  are  when  one  seems  to  draw 
nigh  to  the  throne  of  grace  !" 

Her  health  had  wonderfully  revived.  "  I  have 
been  getting  decidedly  stronger,"  she  writes,  Oct.  3, 
"  and  liave  been  at  church  the  last  seven  Sundays, 
and  really  am  much  better."  And  she  adds:  "IIow 
constantly  varying  one's  feelings  are,  even  towards 
Christ !  Each  turn,  as  it  were,  in  this  weary  wilder- 
nest  seems  to  elicit  fresh  natural  feelings,  and  to  le- 
quire  some  fresh  application,  by  His  Spirit,  of  what 
He  is  to  us."  And  again  :  "  The  tide  of  nature 
often  seems  to  roll  me  far  away  from  the  haven 
where  I  wouh.1  be.  Still  I  have  a  settled  persuasion 
that  all  I  lose  from  time  to  time  is  but  the  sensible 
part  of  religion,  whilst  the  simple  faith  which  looks 
to  -Jesus  and  His  unchangeableness,  seems  rather 
strengthened  than  lessened  by  the  loss  of  all  other 
feelings." 

And  to  another:  "To  cease  from  man,  and  look 
for  our  true  enjoyment  from  our  God,  I  am  more 
and  more  convinced -is  the  lesson  of  the  Christian 
life.  We  don't  know  how  much  we  depend  on 
creatures  and  seen  things.     I  do  so  feel  for  Lady 

C G in  her  present  fellowship  with  some 

of  Christ's  most  painful  sutierings :  but  the  Loi'd 
will  yet  light  her  candle." 

The  first  edition  of  her  work  on  the  Song  being 
exhausted,  she  was  asked  to  prepirc  a    new  "work. 


I  9G  MEMOIR     Of     A .     L .      NEWTON. 

"  As  Mr.  Villiers  proposed  to  me  two  years  ago." 
she  writes,  "  that  I  shouhl  compare  Hebrews  with 
Leviticus,  ami  as  others  have  proposed  the  same 
thing,  I  really  am  thinking  of  it.  But  though  I 
have  gone  through  Hebrews  on  paper,  I  have  a  great 
work  before  me  in  attempting  to  give  God's  mind 
about  it  to  others,  and  it  will  take  much  time  and 
thought.  I  may  sometimes  send  you  any  thoughts 
which  I  particularly  enjoy." 

One  of  these  thoughts  she  gives  thus:  "I  have 
been  struck  beyond  anything  with  Hebrews  lately: 
I  am  satisfied  that  chapters  vi.  and  x.  are  but  a  part 
of  a  grand  whole  ;  and  by  that  I  mean  that  the 
whole  drift  of  the  Epistle  is  just  a  warning  to  be 
stedfast  and  not  to  fall  away  from  Christ.  And  I 
think  there  are  passages  in  chapteis  ii.,  iii.,  iv.,  and 
xii.,  quite  as  strong  as  in  chnpters  vi.  and  x.  So 
many  dear  good  people  are  in  bondagi'  about  those 
)iass;iges  so  very  unnecessarily  !  It  is  beautifully  sim- 
ple, viewed  as  a  grand  whole." 

To   another  friend   (the   Hon.  Mrs.  C ),  slie 

writes,  Oct.  16  (1850):  "The  subject  you  mention, 
of  guidance,  is  one  on  which  1  feel  strongly.  Don't 
you  think  that  wherever  guidance  is  honestly  and 
simply  sought,  it  is  certainly  given?  As  to  our  dis- 
cernment of  it,  I  believe  it  depends  upon  the  iiica- 
sure  in  which  we  are  walking  in  the  light.  One 
indulged  sin  i<o  clouds  the  sky  that  it  spreads  ;i  mist, 
so  tliat  to  see  what  God  is  doing  is  impossible." 

And  in  iho  same  letter:  "You  have  asked  a 
diflBcult    qupstion    about    sinctification.     lis    simple 


D I  A  U  Y .  197 

meaning  involves  the  beiiig-  set  apart  to  a  lioly  use, 
does  it  not?  I  think,  in  Jesus  we  are  peifectly  jus- 
tified and  perfectly  sanctified  from  the  first,  but  are 
momentarily  needing  the  Spirit's  work  to  apply  and 
perfect  both  in  us." 

Herself  living  happily  on  the  bright  side  of  the 
cloud,  she  was  not  content  to  leave  any  one  on  its 
dark,  Egyptain  side.     "I  do  feel  you  ought  to  be 
praising,"  she  writes,   "much  more  than  mourning 
over  your  want  of  better  feelings.     'Only   let   me 
pant  after  this  one  thing,  that  Jesus  may  be  exalted, 
and  I  nothing.     It  is  the  Lord's  love  to  me  I  would  ■ 
see,  not  mine  to  Him.     I  want  to  look  at  Him  till  I  ; 
am  not.     This  will  not  be,  when  I  find  myself  hav-  : 
ing  more  love  to  God,  more  holiness,  &c.,  but  when 
I   lose    myself,    and    see    Him    to   be    my  Wisdom, 
Righteousness,  Sanctification,  Redemption.'" 

In  lier  Diary  at  this  period  we  have  the  following 
brief  entries  :  "■Aug.  31.  Sat.  Avery  precious,  happy 
week,  in  which  I  had  innumei'able  proofs  of  God's 
tender  mercies  to  me.     Sept.  1.  Sun.     Went  to  St. 

J :  heard  a  most  painfully  distressing  sermon  on 

Acts  ii.  42.  Oh,  to  be  in  the  Father's  house  above, 
where  Christ  'the  truth'  will  preach  (Ps.  xl.  9). 
Sep.  12.  Th.  Heard  dear  Mr.  Gell,  at  All-saints', 
from  Jude  20,  '  Praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost.'  Such 
a  precious  word  in  season!  Sept.  14.  Eliza  Rad- 
io d  died  about  nine  a.m.  Oh,  to  win  souls !  Sept. 
16.  Reached  home  again  from  Doveridge,  to  'speak 
good  of  His  name'  who  has  dealt  so  kindly  Avith 
His  clrld.     Nov  24.  Sun.     At  home  all  day.     Felt 


198  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON'. 

burdeucd  by  a  sin-sick  soul,  but  tried  to  toll  laiy  case 
to  my  Physician." 

Her  health,  again  obligins;  her  at  times  to  be  "  at 
home  all  day"  on  the  Sabbath,  gave  evidence,  as 
•winter  approached,  of  being  precarious  as  ever. 
Alluding  to  "a  bad  attack  of  sickness  and  of  intense 
pain,"  she  says,  Nov.  5  (1850):  "It  has  shown  me 
liow  soon  I  may  be  brought  to  a  very  low  ebb ;  and, 
indeed,  one  needs  to  be  tauglit  lowering  lessons  in 
temporals  as  well  as  in  spirituals." 

And  in  another  letter :  "  It  certainly  is  the  trials 
of  life  which  makes  one  cling  to  Jesus  most  closely. 
My  Bible  is  very  dear  to  nie  just  now  ;  and  once  or 
twice  lately  I  have  felt  able  to  pray  again — which  is 
always  such  a  comfort.  But  I  believe  it  is  best  of 
all  when  we  joy  only  in  the  Lord.  I  liave  so  often 
felt  the  last  few  days,  that  to  be  covered  with  Jesus, 
and  to  be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  summed  up  all  my 
highest  wishes." 

This  winter,  like  the  preceding,  was  spent  at 
home.  "We  have  ha  1  so  little  real  cold  yet,"  she 
writes,  Dec.  28  (1850),  "  that  I  have  never  been 
made  ill  by  it,  so  far;  and  when  it  comes,  if  I  keep 
in  these  two  rooms  as  I  did  last  winter,  I  hope  to 
get  through  very  well.  I  grudge  the  increasing 
duties  which  lob  me  of  the  time  I  have  so  long  been 
permitted  to  spend  in  feasting  on  the  AVord  and  its 
fulness ;  but  I  know  the  field  of  battle  must  be 
encountered,  as  well  as  the  green  pastures  and  still 
watois  be  lain  in,  for  we  are  not  as  yet  come  to  our 
rest." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

The  tiimily-afiectious  are  of  God.  A.nticlirist  up« 
roots  them  ;  Christ  deepens  and  sanctifies  them. 
Dear  Adelaide  is  before  us  in  this  chapter  the_  duti- 
ful and  loving  child.  Her  filial  attachment,  no  longer 
a  mere  instinct  such  as  is  shared  by  the  lower  ani- 
mals, has  been  elevated  into  a 'love  in  the  Spirit ;' 
and  the  attachment  gains  immensely. 

The  occasion  which  illustrates  this  feature  of  her 
character  is  her  father's  last  illness.  "  I  have  felt 
it,"  she  writes  on  Jan.  3  (1851),  "quite  a  tender 
proof  of  my  heavenly  Father's  gentle  dealing  with 
me,  that,  through  this  excessively  mild  weather,  I 
have  been  so  well  as  to  be  able  to  go  after  dear  Papa 
and  sit  with  him.  I  feel  every  hour  as  if  I  were 
watching  his  last  days  on  earth.  You  may  imagine, 
but  I  could  not  tell  you,  what  I  felt  when  I  said 
'  Good  night'  to  him  last  night,  and  felt  his  hand  so 
cold — Avitli  such  a  damp,  death-like  coldness.  I  had 
meant  to  write  you  a  few  words  before  going  to  bed : 
but,  once  alone,  I  could  not  utter  a  thought  to  any 
but  to  llim  who  could  help  me  to  speak  them  to 
Him,  and,  for  the  sake  of  my  own  health,  I  made 
myself  get  into  bed,  and  cried  myself  to  sleep." 


200  MEMO  111      UK      A.      L.      NliWrON". 

And,  in  lier  Diary,  we  liavi-  tliis  entry  :   '^'■Juli/  6 

Dr. and  Mr. saw  Papa,  Imt  gave  next  tc 

no  hope.  I  asked  Papa  it"  I  might  give  liim  a  text, 
Isa.  xl.  28-31  ;  and  lie  said,  '  Uow  little,  in  such  a 
time  of  sickness,  one  could  think !  you  might  feast 
on  what  you  had  already,  but  could  not  follow  out 
anything.'"     And,  on   the    16th,  in  a  letter  to  the 

Hon.  Mi's.  C :    '"To  Papa  death  will"  be    real 

gain.  When  the  fruit  is  ripe,  immediately  the  sickle 
will,  I  know,  be  put  in ;  and  when  I  remember  whose 
property  the  fitdd  of  this  world  is,  and  who  planted 
and  nurtured  each  spiritual  grain  of  wheat  sown  in 
it,  I  seem  as  if  I  must  be  satisfied  to  have  it  cut 
down  when  it  is  ready.  It  would  argue  indiflFerence 
to  it  in  the  Husbandman,  if  He  then  left  it  in  the 
field." 

And  she  adds  :  "  I  strongly  feel  how  little  oneness 
of  spirit  there  must  be  with  Jesus,  when  we  grudge 
Him  the  fulfilment  of  His  share  in  God's  purposes 
for  the  sake  of  our  own  enjoyment  in  this  stranger- 
world.  We  cannot  spare  Him  the  spirits  He  has 
purchased,  because  we  cling  so  fondly  to  their 
bodies!  But,  since  He  has  felt  the  natural  feeling 
of  bitterness  at  parting  with  a  much-loved  object, 
we  know  He  shares  our  sorrow,  just  as  He  did  Mary's 
and  Martha's.  And  what  comfort  such  thoughts 
give  one  !  You  don't  know  how  true  '  Treasures  in 
heaven'  seems  to  me  now ;  I  think  I  wrote  it  for  my 
own  profit." 

A  trial  of  faith  she  notes  o:i  Jan.  16  :  "  You  can't 
tliiidv  how  precisely  you  descrilcd  what  I  am  feehng 


HE    "fainteth    not."  201 

ill  that  insensibility  of  suul  M-liich  kneels  before  God  | 
but  ut:ers  nothing.  I  hope  it  is  not  altogether  sinful, 
for  I  think  it  must  be  very  uuich  physieal.  I  never 
felt  less  able  to  pray ;  and  even  the  Word  of  God  it- 
self scarcely  seems  alive,  through  my  own  deadness. 
But  I  am  not  unhappy :  I  think  God  is  just  saying 
in  His  dealings — '  Now  you  see  what  you  are,  and 
how  very  weak  the  flesh  is,  and  how  everything  de- 
pends on  what  Jesus  is /or  you,  and  what  it  is  to  have  / 
my  skirt  spread  over  you.'  " 

Her  triumph  of  faith  is  explained,  Jan.  24,  thus  : 
"Have  you  marked  that  passage,  Isa.  xl.  28-31, 
and  especially  the  way  the  verses  are  connected  ? 
Frst  of  all,  in  v.  28,  we  find  those  two  wonderful 
qualities  attributed  lo  'God,  the  Lord,  the  Creator 
of  the  ends  of  the  earth' — that  He  '  finnteth  not, 
neither  is  wearv.'  Only  conceive  the  exertion, 
according  to  our  finite  notions,  of  bearing  up  a 
world  teeming  with  millions  of  inhabitants,  day  after 
day,  year  alter  year,  and  never  being  weary !  added 
to  which,  each  of  these  inhabitants  wants  breath 
every  instant,  and  innumerable  other  things  besides 
Sometimes  the  thought  of  the  infinite  variety  and 
number  of  prayers  which  are  being  offered  up  at  the 
same  moment  has  come  across  me  with  a  feeling  of 
overwhelming  amazement ;  each  separately  listened 
to,  and  answered — not,  probably,  all  at  once,  but  by 
a  series  of  events  leading  at  last  to  the  result,  which 
turns  out  to  be  the  answer  to  nrayers  we  have  been 
putting  up  for  weeks  or  months !  Fancy  God  never 
beino-  tired    of  listening  to  all    that !    it  gives  one 


202  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

mai^nificent  ideas  of  the  vastness  of  His  power,  does 
it  not  ?" 

"  Then  the  contrast  to  this,  in  v.  30,"  she  adds,  "  is 
very  remarkable  :  '  The  youths  shall  faint  and  be 
weary  ;'  which  I  understand  to  inean,  the  finest  de- 
gree of  natural  strength  shall  turn  out  to  be  weak- 
ness ;  and  how  true  it  is  !  'But  they  that  wait  upon 
the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength  ;  they  shall  mount 
u]>  with  wings,  as  eagles  ;  thoy  shall  run  and  not  be 
weary,  and  they  shall  walk  and  not  faint.'  Just 
those  who  have  '  no  might'  in  themselves,  are  those 
who  prove  the  strongest  of  all ;  for  God  communi- 
cates His  own  Avonderful  qualities  to  them  !" 

A  little  jotting  to  one  of  her  sisters,  suggested  by 
their  threatened  bereavement,  gives  a  touching 
glimpse  into  her  tender   but   strong  heart :    "  For 

dearest  N .     '/  w-ill  not  leave  you  comfortless 

[marg.,  orphans) ;  /  will  come  to  you.'  (John  xiv. 
18.)  His  offices  require  His  presence  with  us,  and 
His  love  secures  it.  He  will  not  leave  us.  We 
never  shall  be  orphans;  for  our  Father  ever  lives. — 
Leylands,  Jan.  29,  1851." 

And,  accompanying  this,  are  the  following  simple 
-ines : 

"The  place,  the  things,  the  persons  we  lovo  best, 
Oft  rob  us  of  our  place  iu  Jesas'  breast ; 
But  He  too  jealous  is  the  heart  to  share  ; 
Whereiu  He  reigns,  He  reigns  supremely  there. 

"  The  idols  He  deprives  us  of  shall  prove 
But  aa  new  inlets  to  admit  His  love ; 


"  G  L  O  R  I  O  C  S     LIBERTY.''  203 

Our  present  loss  shall  bo  our  richest  gain — 
Therein  most  likeness  wo  to  Christ  attain."' 

(2  Cor.  viii.  9.) 

Her  fatlier  growing  gradually  weaker,  Adelaide 
"  took  her  turn,"  with  her  sisters,  in  ministering  to 
him.  "  I  had  a  very  happy  day  Avith  him  yesterday," 
she  writes,  Feb.  3  (1851);  "he  is  so  very  peaceful, 
and  so  tenderly  kind.  On  Saturday  morning,  very 
early,  he  told  Mamma  he  had  had  a  very  happy 
night,  thinking  of  those  two  lines — 

"  '  If  sin  be  pardoned,  I  'm  secure ; 
Death  has  no  sting  beside  ;' 

adding,  '  It  had  but  one  sting,  and  that  is  gone.'  I 
know  you  will  care  for  these  few  particulars  of  one 
so  inestimably  precious  to  me." 

And,  writing  to  Mrs.  C W ,  on  Feb.  12, 

she  says  :  "  He  has  been  the  active  servant  of  God 
for  twenty  or  thirty  years ;  and  God  is  now  polishing 
the  other  side  of  the  stone,  and  making  the  passive 
graces  of  iiatieuce,  meekness,  gentleness,  to  shine 
forth  in  him.  May  I  send  you  the  words  which  have 
especially  beeu  on  my  mind  lately — '  The  bondage  of 
corruption,'  in  Rom.  viii.  21  ?  It  is  such  bondage. 
Yet  we  know  that  these  corruptible  bodies  are  to  put 
on  incorruption ;  and  then  the  bondage  will  be  ex- 
changed for  '  glorious  liberty  !'  One  longs  for  the 
time  for  one's-self ;  but  it  is  hard,  to  my  will,  to  be 
left' belli ud  when  others  go." 

It  is  a  great  achievement  to  "  occupy"  to-day,  and 
to-day  only. 


204  M  K  M  O  I  n     OK     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

"  01  rich  banquet  of  to-da^I  let  mo  feast  upon  theo,  saving 
manna  1 
I  have  none  other  food,  nor  store,  but  daily  bread  to-day. 
I  find  none  other  place  nor  time  than  where  I  am  to-day." 

Alluding  to  a  tendency  to  look  beyond  "  to-day,"  as 
"  the  grief  of  her  present  trial,"  Adelaide  adds :  "  I 
feel  ashamed  to  write  this  ;  for  what  have  I  to  do 
with  the  thoughts  of  a  future  which  may  never  come  ? 
How  difficult  it  is  to  trust  practically,  that,  as  our 
day,  our  strength  shall  be  ;  and  practically  to  remem- 
ber that  the  Chi  istian  has  to  do  only  with  the  present 
moment. 

And  the  thought  is  further  developed  elsewhere, 
thus :  "  *  Day  by  day.'     The  child  of  God  must  learn 
/that  his  lieavenly  Father  maintains  his  cause  on  this 
/wise — 'The  thing  of  a  day  in  his  day,  as  the  matter 
I  shall  require.'     (1  Kings  viii.  69,  marg.)     For  every 
trial  He  sends,  He  gives  sufficient  grace  for  its  en- 
/durance  !  but  He  promises  no  grace  to  bear  anticipa- 
I  tions  ^^^th  ;  and  we  little  know  how  very  large  a  por- 
tion of  our  mental  sufierings  arises  trom  anticipation 
of  trial.     It  is  most  conspicuous,  for  example,  in  Ja- 
cob ;  and  in  his  case  his  anticipations  were,  in  great 
mea-surc,  positive  waste — things  turned  out  so  widely 
difierent  from  what  he  had  anticipated.     These  are 
the  bitterest  ingi-edients  of  our  trials,  just  because 
they  are  self-imposed  and  must  be  borne  as  best  we 
can  of  our  own  (xoeak)  strength.     Xo  wonder  they 
are  so  hard  to  bear,  if  God  jirovides  no  strength  to 
bear  them  with  !     Should  not  we  leai'n,  therefore, 
how  utterly  vain  it  is  to  anticipate  ?     And  more — 


•'going    up."  205 

should  not  the  fact  that  God  has  made  no  provision ' 
tor  our  anticipations,  make  us  shrink  from  the  indul- 
gence of  them  ?  '  Day  by  day,'  is  His  direction  to 
us ;  and  '  no  thought  for  the  morrow,'  is  His  gra- 
cious, and  tender,  and  positive  prohibition." 

The  closing  scenes  are  given  in  the  Diary  thus ; 
^'■February  26. — In  the  evening,  when  I  was  going, 
dearest  Papa  put  out  his  hand  and  kissed  me,  and 
said,  '  Good  bye,  dear  !'  and  added,  '  It 's  all  joy — all 
peace — all  comfort!'  March  1. — Commenced  my 
twenty-eighth  year  on  earth.  In  the  morning,  dear- 
est Papa  called  me,  stretched  out  both  his  arms,  and 
clasped  me  to  him — but  I  could  only  hear  him  say, 
'  This  is  your  birthday,  dear !'  March  5. — In  the 
evening,  he  quite  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  at  me, 
as  I  stood  by  his  bedside — took  my  .hand — and  I 
kissed  him.  A  few  moments  after,  he  pushed  away 
the  pillow,  and  again  looked  up  at  me,  and  saiil, 
'  It 's  a  long  time.'  Surely  this  is  God  fulfilling  my 
desires!     Thank  Ilim !      Bless  Him!     March  6. — 

At  a  quarter  before  two  p.  m.,  B came  to  tell  me 

how  (^hanged  dearest  Papa  was,  and  I  went  down. 
He  litled  up  my  hand  in  his  many  times,  and  beggeil 
to  be  raised — to  go  up — to  be  lifted  up ;  and  his  last 
audible  word,  we  believe,  was — '  Saviour  !'  March 
7. — Again  and  again  in  the  night  he  spoke  of  'going,' 

and  once  said  to  B ;,  '  I  'm  ready — quite  ready  ; 

I  only  want  to  be  going.'  About  two  and  three  he 
breathed  very  hard,  but  became  quieter,  and  breathed 
more  and  more  faintly,  till  we  could  scarcely  tell 
when    it   cj'asyd — a  few  minutes  after  seven   a.m." 


200  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L,     NEWTON. 

March  9,  Sunday. — Dearest  Papa's  first  Sabbath  in 
'glory  everlasting.'  March  13. — Went  twice  to  look 
at  dearest  Papa's  earthly  tabernacle.  This  corrupt- 
ible '■shall  put  on  incorniption.'  March  14. — All 
that  remained  of  dearest  Papa  buried  in  the  vault  at 
Mickleover,  till  Jesus  says,  '  Come  forth  !'  Read 
John  xi.     It  was  a  day  of  much  tender  mercy." 

A  few  days  later  she  writes :  "  I  have  grieved  to 
leave  your  kind  letter  so  long  unanswered ;  but,  in 
honest  truth,  I  have  had  no  heart  to  write.  Num- 
bers of  notes  of  inquiry,  which  were  obliged  to  be 
answered,  more  than  used  up  the  little  spirit  I  had 
for  mentioning  him  who  now  is  set  free  from  the 
body  of  sin  and  death,  and,  absent  fi'om  the  body,  is 
for  ever  '  present  with  the  Lord.'  It  has  been  a  time 
of  deep  and  unutterable  sorrow,  yet  mixed  with 
countless  mercies  and  multitudes  of  tender  mercies 
and  lovingkiuduesses.  Indeed,  I  often  feel  for  more 
inclined  to  rejoice  than  to  weep  ;  for,  bad  as  it  is  to 
1)0  left  behind  in  a  world  like  this,  I  know  I  am  fol- 
lowing hard  after  him — and  for  himself  I  have  not 
one  single  feehng  but  unmixed  thankfulness.  For 
above  an  hour  after  he  went,  I  sat  by  all  that  re- 
mained to  me  of  him — the  greater  part  of  the  time 
being  quite  alone ;  yet  not  one  tear  could  I  shed ! 
No ;  I  was  absorbed  in  thoughts  of  unseen  realities, 
and  so  marvellously  have  they  taken  possession  of 
me  since,  that  I  seldom  have  felt  inclined  to  weep. 
lie  was  buried  on  the  14th — a  lovely,  bright  morn- 
ing, which  filled  me  full  of  resurr  ction  thoughts. 
'  Lazarus,  come  forth  !'  were  words   I  delighted    to 


THE     I  NT  F.  R  M  E  D  I  AT  E     STATE.  '_'07 

listen  to  the  Spirit  speakiir^  in  the  Word ;  and  little 
do  we  know  how  soon  they  may  be  said  to  all  who 
are  in  their  graves  now." 

And  to  another  :  "  I  could  not  toll  you  how  posi- 
tively happy  I  was  on  the  morning  of  the  funeral, 
after  reading  John  xi.  It  seemed  so  impossible  to 
think  of  the  tears  Jesus  shed  over  the  lifeless  body  of 
Lazarus,  without  going  on  to  the  Omnipotence  which 
said,  '  Lazarus,  come  forth  !'  " 

And  again  :  "  What  wonderful,  very  wonderful 
things  are  reserved  for  us  there !  I  do  feel  it  so 
much,  when  I  cannot  even  tell  where  my  precious 
father's  spirit  now  is,  nor  what  it  is  about !  '  With 
Jesus'  seems  there  theoidy  thing:  and  it  is  enough  ; 
yet  at  the  resurrection  we  shall  also  know  and  be 
with  each  other — don't  you  think  ?" 

Her  thoughts  wore  naturally  drawn  at  this  season 
to  the  intermediate  state,  "  I  want  to  know,"  we 
find  her  writing  on  March  17  (1851),  "whether  your 
mind  has  ever  been  called  to  think  much  of  the  state 
of  separation  from  the  body.  I  have  been  studying 
the  believer  in  Jesus  in  these  three  states — 1.  'At 
home  in  the  body  ;'  2.  'Absent  from  the  body;'  3. 
'Clothed  upon  with  our  house  which  is  from  heaven.' 
But  I  will  send  you  the  paper.  There  is  one  thing 
which  has  occurred  to  me  since  I  wrote  it,  on  the 
word  '  unclothed.'  It  gives  me  the  idea  that  it  is 
a  state  one  naturally  would  prefer  not  to  be  exposed 
to  view  in  ('  If  so  be,  that,  being  clothed,  we  shall  not 
he  found  naked  ')  ;  and  how  graciously  this  feeling 
is  met  by  the  hidden,  unseen  state  of  spirits,  who,  so 


208  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

soou  as  they  are  ' clothed  upon,'  will  '■appear  witli 
Christ  ill  glory  !'  I  have  been  reading  1  John  i., 
too,  and  looking  out  texts  on  it ;  and  often  have  I 
grown  breathless  through  the  rarity  of  so  pure  an 
atmosphere." 

AnJ,  on  March  31,  she  writes:  "I  have  been 
lliinking  very  much  about  the  'unclothed'  state; 
and  I  cannot  but  believe,  that,  while  there,  each  indi- 
vidual spirit  is  admitted  to  the  fulness  of  perfected 
communion  with  Jesus  (which  is,  after  all,  what  we 
most  intensely  long  for  as  Chiistians  while  on  earth), 
but  that  the  recognition  of  saints,  and  their  conmiu- 
nion  with  each  other,  must  wait  till  they  are  '  clothed 
upon,'  and  have  bodies  to  see,  and  hear,  and  speak 
with.  Have  you  ever  much  considered  this  subject  ? 
I  suppose  it  is  interesting  to  almost  every  one,  for 
few  can  be  without  some  beloved  friend  or  relative 
who  is  there.  And  the  chief  charm  to  me  of  the 
thoughts  I  have  lately  had  about  it,  is,  that  it  really 
leads  one  direct  to  Christ,  for  it  makes  Ilim  the 
everything  to  the  spirits  who  are  now  '  made  perfect.' 
Fancy  being  free  from  all  sin,  enjoying  all  that  Christ 
is.  i  II 1  holding  the  purest  spiritual  intercourse  with 
ITim,  being  admitted  into  His  felt  presence!  Don't 
you  think  it  must  just  depend  on  the  degree  of  our 
spiritually  of  mind  here,  how  far  we  can  truly  appre- 
ciate the  'gain'  of  dying  and  going  to  be  'with 
Christ  V  " 

The  subject  took  form  and  shape  ere  long  in  an 
oc'.avo  pamphlet — "The Unclothed  State" — which  has 
prnved  noRuiall  con^:o!ati<)n  toother  bereaved  disciples. 


"happy   in    his    happiness."       209 

If  the  Christiau's  family-aftections  are  adorned 
with  a  new  loveliness  whilst  the  objects  of  them  are 
still  here,  still  brig'hter  and  more  heavenly  is  their 
hue  al'ter  those  objects  are  away.  Then  especially 
do  they  shiue  forth  as  not  mere  instincts  of  earth, 
but  as  indeed  divine.  "  The  real  trial,"  she  writes 
March  31,  "is  to  be  left  behind.  Oh;  how  do  I 
need  Divine  grace,  to  make  me  content  to  wait  till  T 
am  ready  to  go  !  Hitherto  there  has  really  been 
such  unutterable  tenderness  and  gentleness  in  each 
thing  which  God  has  don>\  that  silent  adoration  has 
been  quite  the  uppermost  fueling  of  my  heart." 

And  again  :  "  I  really  had  not  heart  to  write  to 
you  as  long  as  dearest  Papa  was  here ;  it  seemed  to 
weigh  me  down  with  such  an  indescribable  weight 
of  anxiety.  But  since  he  has  been  set  free  from  the 
body  of  sin  and  death  which  kept  him  so  long  a 
prisoner,  I  have  been  quite  happy  in  his  happiness. 
I  seem  only  to  have  to  press  on  to  follow  hard  after 
him,  giving  up  as  much  as  ];ossible  the  self-will  and 
obstinacy  of  my  own  naturally  stubborn  character, 
so  that  God's  will  may  be  done  in  me  and  by  me." 

"  Lord,  we  await  Thy  glory ; 
We  have  no  home  but  where 
The  unbroken  heavenly  family 
Thy  joy  with  us  shall  share. 

"  Our  Father's  smiles  are  cheering 
The  brief  but  thorny  Avay; 
(^ur  Father's  house  the  dwelling, 
Made  ready  for  that  day." 
18=^ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

In  this  new  school  of  triul  Adelaide  had  been 
learning  new  lessons.     "  I  feel,"  we  find  her  writing 

to  the  Hon.  Mrs.  C- ,  April  21  (1851),  "what  I 

had  long  believed  must  be  the  case,  that  bereave- 
ment admits  one  to  an  entirely  new  sphere  of  sor- 
row— known  only  to  those  who  have  trodden  it. 
The  isolation  I  had  experienced  from  circumstances 
and  from  illness  is  so  totally  different  from  the  deso- 
lation of  death!  But  I  do  believe  that  the  variety 
of  Christian  experiences  throiigli  which  we  are  thus 
peraiitted  to  pass  on  earth,  will  add  greatly  to  the 
depth  of  our  enjoyment  in  praising  hereafter.  And 
when  one  thinks  of  spending  a  whole  eternity  in 
praises  and  thanksgivings,  it  is  a  \evy  precious 
thought  to  me  just  now  that  prolonged  hfe  and 
discipline  yield  one  ampler  materials  than  could 
otherwise  have  been  turned  to  account  to  the  glory 
of  God  and  of  Jesus  there." 

And,  alluding  to  the  season,  in  whose  services  she 
had  been  engaged,  and  associating  with  it  the  scenes 
through  which  she  had  been  passing  at  home,  slie 
adds :  "  I  have  been  especially  thinking  of  the 
Lord's  body,  above  all,  of  Ilis  lifeless  body.     Did  it 


T  HE     "  D  A  Y  LI  C  H  T ."  211 

ever  occur  to  you  to  think  of  the  inonjent  of  His 
death,  when  the  dcarkness  which  had  overhung  the 
land  for  three  Lours  just  passed  away,  to  reveal  to 
the  sight  of  man  Uis  dead  body  on  the  cross  ?  I 
was  pondering  over  it  so  much  yesterday ;  and  I 
think  it  must  have  been  such  a  terrific  moment  when 
the  daylight  again  burst  upon  that  fearful  scene. 
The  subject  is  so  peculiarly  harmonious  with  all  that 
has  been  so  lately  passing  here,  that  I  have  had 
intense  delight  in  reading  over  all  that  is  recorded  of 
the  body  of  our  Redeemer  when  he  had  '  dismissed 
Ilis  Spirit'  and  left  it  in  the  hands  of  man.  It  has 
been  so  precious  to  me  to  notice  how  God  owned 
and  accepted  the  fond  affection  which  constrained 
the  women  to  see  'how  the  body  was  laid'  and 
where,  and  to  linger  about  the  sepulchre.  Don't 
you  think  the  record  of  those  little  things  teaches 
one  so  very  much  ?  And  ce:  tainly  the  Father's  heart 
must  have  yearned  over  even  the  lifeless  body  of  His 
well-beloved  Son,  or  the  Spirit  would  not  have  said 
so  much  about  it.  I  like  to  believe  it ;  for  if  Christ's 
dead  body  were  precious  in  His  sight,  so  must  the 
dead  bodies  of  His  members  be,  even  though  they 
are  so  dift'crent.     Don't  you  think  so  ?" 

"  I  was  wonderfully  well,"  she  writes,  on  April  25, 
"  through  the  winter,  and  kept  up  all  through 
dearest  Papa's  long  illness ;  but  I  don't  feel  so  weli 
now,  and  this  spring-weather  tries  me  a  good  deal. 
People  tliink  me  looking  verj^  well,  only  thinner. 
But,  oh  !  how  I  should  like  to  forget  all  that  is  of 
llii'  earth,  earthy,  and  to  think,  or  speak,  or  write  of 


'212  M  K  M  O  I  K     OF     A  .     L .     N  E  WT  U  N  . 

Jesus  aud  His  love,  so  as  that  others  migliL  be 
warmed,  instead  of  chilled,  by  coming  into  contact 
with  me !" 

Few  did  come  into  contact  with  her,  without 
being  "  warmed."  Iler  words  were  not  the  prophet's 
dead  staff',  but  the  hving,  breathing  person.  "  If  I 
could  send  you  one  word  to  give  you  any  pleasure," 
she  writes,  April  27,  "I  would  not  be  silent;  and, 
whilst  I  would  ask  God  to  strengthen  you  with 
might  by  His  Spirit  in  your  inner  man,  I  would  not 
forget  that  His  Spirit  may  speak  through  others  as 
well  as  directly  to  yourself.  Only  how  often  He 
toach(»s  us  that  it  is  His  own  eye  meeting  ours,  or 
His  own  voice  speaking  to  us,  or  the  gentle  pressure, 
r..>  it  were,  of  His  own  hand,  which  tells  the  depth  of 
His  tender  love  and  satisfies  the  longings  of  our 
hearts.  There  is  such  a  secret  between  us  and  Ood, 
that  our  s])irits  only,  and  not  our  tongues,  can  give 
utterance  to  it.  And  yet  there  is  the  knowledge 
that,  while  we  can  only  nttev  it  in  spirit  to  God,  it  is 
understood  by  those  who  ai'e  further  on  in  the  road 
to  the  city  of  the  living  God  than  we  are ;  so  that 
our  hearts  may  be  made  to  burn  while  talking  of  it, 
even  though  we  could  not  give  expression  to  it." 

The  Diary  thus  reveals  the  way  in  which  she  lived 
dally  on  the  Word  :  '■'■Marcli  23. — Sun.  'He  satis- 
ficth  the  longing  soul,  and  filleth  the  hungry  soul 
with  goodness.'  It  must,  indeed,  be  His  doing ! 
How  often  the  creature-streams  run  dry  !"  '•'•March 
28. — '  My  soul,  wait  thou  onhj  upon  God  ;  for  my 
expectation  is  from  Him.'     It  is  true  of  my  '  exp ct.;- 


B  U  E  A  T  H  I  N  G  S .  213 

lion,'  that  it  is  from  God  only ;  why,  then,  do  I  not 
wait  upon  Him  onhj?  Conduct  contradicts  prin- 
ciple." '■'■April  12. — 'Whoso  oftereth  praise  glori- 
fieth  mo ;  and  to  him  that  orderoth  his  convcrsalion 
aright,  will  I  show  the  salvation  of  God.'  IIow  little 
I  see  of  '  tlie  heights  and  depths'  of  the  salvation  of 
God,  when  my  conversation  is  all  wrong  before  Ilim  1 
Oh,  ioY  rectitude  oi  heart  and  life!"  '■^April  28. — 
'  He  shall  not  be  Jifraid  of  evil  tidings :  his  heart  is 
FIXED,  trusting  in  the  Lord.'  Mrs.  Cavendish  came 
over  from  Doveridge  to  see  me.  We  went  through 
Daniel  together;  and  I  hope 'iron  sharpened  iron' 
mutually.  Oh,  for  Jixcdncss  of  heart!"  '•'•May  11. 
— Had  the  Communion — real  communion  with  a 

Triune  God!"  '■'May  10. — AVrute  to  dear about 

Prov.  xxiii.  15,  IG — the  joys  of  Jesus.  He  is  our 
'  wisdom ;'  and  our  words  are  the  breathings  of  His 
Spirit  through  our  lips  I" 

A  few  such  "bieathings"  occur  in  a  letter,  dated 
May  15,  thus:  "I  suppose  I  must  be  thankful  to 
have  even  this  little  taste  of  Christian  communion 
with  you,  ere  we  meet  in  the  temple  of  our  (jlod  to 
enjoy  the  fulness  of  His  precious  purchased  priv- 
ileges. ]->ut  it  seems  next  to  nothing — does  it  not  ? 
— and  makes  one  long  to  be  really  at  home  in  our 
Father's  house  above.  I  think  I  told  yoa  in  my  last 
note  how  much  I  had  been  thinking  of  the  Spirit's 
joy.  This  week  I  have  been  thinking  of  the  joy  of 
Jesus  a  good  deal.  Did  it  ever  strike  you  in  1 
Chron.  xxix.  17,  taking  Dand  as  the  type  of  the  true 
r>a\'id.  our  'Beloved.'  how  binutiful  those  worrls  are, 


214  MEMOIR     OF     A.      L.     NEWTON. 

'As  for  me,  I  have  willingly  offered  all  these  things 
in  the  uprightness  of  mine  heart,  and  now  have  I 
seen  with  joy  thy  people  which  are  present  here  to 
offer  willingly  unto  thee  V  His  was  the  great  offer- 
ing ;  and  we  give  ourselves  and  all  we  have  to  give, 
in  conformity  with  His  example.  Perhaps  every  cup 
of  cold  water  given  for  His  sake  is  an  offering  which 
He  looks  down  upon  '  with  joy ;'  and,  if  so,  dear 
,  how  privileged  you  must  have  been  in  contri- 
buting to  His  joy  !  I  often  hear  of  your  kindnesses, 
even  at  this  distance ;  and  how  many  are  known  to 
Jesus,  Avho  notices  even  when  '  it  was  in  thine  heart' 
to  do  them,  though  perhaps  tlicy  were  not  accom- 
plished as  you  could  wish  I" 

And  to  a  bereaved  fiieiid  she  v.rites  :  "  I  can  share 
in  your  sorrow,  and  that  not  slightly  ;  but  I  will  not 
(as  J.  H.  Evans  so  often  say:^)  pain  you  with  common- 
place remarks  about  affliction.  I  know  well  that  no 
words  avail  to  heal  such  wounds,  except  as  the  Lord 
the  Spirit  speaks  them.  The  gathering  of  the 
heavenly  family  appeals  often  to  me  to  be  going  on 
very  rapidly,  and  the  time  of  our  meeting  in  the 
many  mansions  of  our  Father's  house  to  be  drawing 
nigh.  And  what  a  blessed  hope  it  is  I  'Glory!'  It 
seems  such  a  marvellous  word.  '  The  God  of  glory' 
— the  glory  Jesus  had  with  Him  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world — His  glory,  which  is  the  Father's  gift 
to  Him,  and  His  gift  to  us — bodies  of  glory,  like  so 
many  reflectors  of  the  glory  of  His  body !  The 
whole  eaith  filled  with  it  and  covered  with  it.  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea! — ami  an  exceeding  weight  of 


A      K  K  T  K  O  £3  I' E  C  T.  215 

it,  being  the  precious  fruit  of  the  light  afflictions  we 
have  lovingly  had  allotted  to  us  here !  The  hope  of 
glury  is  indeed  a  bright  one,  and  might  well  throw 
the  present  time  into  the  shades  of  night,  while  cne 
is  looking  for  '  the  glorious  appearing'  of  the  great 
'  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,'  when  '  the  day' 
breaks  and  the  shadows  flee  away." 

And  to  another  :  "  I  have  only  not  written  before 
because  I  seemed  as  if  I  could  not — not  from  want 
of  feeling,  but  from  feeling  too  much  to  be  able  to 
say  it.  The  lent  jewel  is  returned  to  its  Owner ;  and 
Jesus  has  got  it  all  to  Himself -for  a  little  while; 
but  it  will  not  be  for  long."  And  to  the  samt,  a  few 
weeks  later :  "  I  had  no  idea,  till  your  note  reached 
me,  that  you  had  again  been  feeling  as  if  drawing 
near  the  verge  of  an  unseen  world  ;  but  I  am  heartily 
thankful  to  God  for  sparing  you  to  all  of  u.>.  Yet, 
oh !  how  delightful  it  is  to  walk  on  fearlessly  and 
happily  as  if  to  the  river's  brink,  though  it  may  prove 
to  be  only  to  travel  on  by  the  river's  side,  '  beside  the 
still  waters !' " 

A  retrospect,  suggested  by  the  illness  of  a  cousin 
whom  medical  treatment  had  not  relieved,  occurs  in 
a  letter,  dated  May  12  (1851),  thus:  "How  often  I 
wonder  at  God's  dealings  with  7ne  in  bodily  things ! 
— how  gently  He  led  me,  after  a  sufficient  number  of 
years  of  discipline,  down  to  Torquay,  that  life  might 
be  prolonged,  just  when  I  was  on  the  verge  of  getting 
past  recovery  !  Then  I  wonder  how  long  it  will  be 
for  ?  But  every  day  I  am  more  satisfied  to  leave  it 
with  Him." 


210  M  K  M  0  1  U     OF     A  .     L .     N  K  \V  T  0  N . 

"  I  liavc  very,  very  happy  intercourse  with  Him 
about  things  very  often,"  she  adds.  "  I  did  so  enjoy 
tlie  Communion  yesterday.  I  felt  I  was  doing  what 
He  liked  me  to  do.  Don't  you  know  that  sort  of 
feeling?  And  1  Chron.  xxix.  9  seemed  to  mc  so 
full  of  preciousness — our  joy  in  doing  in  our  mea- 
sure what  Jesus  did  perfectly,  and  what  caused  Him 
such  '  great  joy.'  And  the  thought  of  contribut- 
ing anything  to  the  joy  of  the  '  Man  of  sorrows'  is 
so  sweet !" 

And  again.  May  21,  to  a  friend  who  had  paid  her 
a  very  hurried  visit :  "  This  wildcrness-world  is  not, 
the  place  for  honie-enjoymcnts  and  society.  I  re- 
member once  having  it  remarked  to  mo,  that,  in 
crossing  the  waves  of  this  troublesome  world,  the 
very  wave  which  rolls  one  towards  a  fiiend  speedily 
recedes  and  bears  one  away  again.  But  it  will  not  be 
so  in  the  haven." 

And  to  a  friend  sojourning  in  soutlK-rn  Europe  for 

her  health,  Mi-s.  C W ,  she  writes  (May  23) : 

"I  should  think  you  must  be  feeling  a  thorough 
pilgrim  on  the  earth  !  But  still  arc  not  the  statutes 
of  the  Lord  emphatically  at  such  times  your  song  ?  I 
always  feel  so  strongly  that  He  seems  to  encompass  one 
about  so  inuch  moie  closely,  as  the  absence  of  others 
makes  room  for  Him.  '  There  was  no  room  for  Ilim 
in  the  inn,'  where  strangers  were  crowding  together 
in  numbers — a  large,  merry,  happy  party,  doubtless. 
But  there  was  plenty  of  room  for  Him  in  the  house 
where  only  Mary,  and  Martha,  and  Lazai'us  lived. 
And  don't  you  think  that  is  just  what  one  realizes  sc 


THE    "valley    of    humiliation."     21*7 

often  now  ?  It  does  not  destroy  the  desolation  which 
boieavement  makes,  and  which  daily  grows  upon 
me  ;  but  it  sweetens  it,  and  so  does  the  absence  of 
friends." 

The  loAv  state  of  the  Church  of  God  often  deeply 
affected  her.  Alluding  to  those  words  in  Amoa 
iv.  8,  "  So  two  or  three  cities  wandered  unto  one  city 
to  drink  water,  but  they  were  not  satisfied  :  yet  have 
ye  not  returned  unto  me,"  she  writes  :  "  Does  not  the 
literal  exactly  prefigure  the  spiritual  Israel  here  1 
There  is  such  a  state  of  things  in  Christ's  Church 
militant  here  on  earth,  that  His  showers  of  blessing 
are  withholden.  Here  and  there  a  Christian  or  a 
congregation  is  found  upon  whom  the  rain  descends ; 
and  he  or  it  is  well  watered,  while  all  around  is 
'  withered.'  Two  or  three  may  wander  to  that  fa- 
voured one ;  but  even  then  they  are  '  not  satisfied,' 
because  they  have  still  not  returned  to  the  Lord,  the 
Fountain  of  living  waters." 

Another  lesson  of  her  discipline  she  notes,  in  a 
letter  dated  May  28  (1851)  :  "  God  has  been  leading 
me  in  the  valley  of  humiliation  of  late ;  and  some- 
times my  spirit  has  seemed  all  but  crushed.  I  keep 
saying  to  myself,  as  I  go  about  like  the  leper  of  old, 
'  Unclean,  unclean  !'  and  can  truthfully  say,  '  I  abhor 
myself.'  I  suppose  I  may  read  in  it  all  the  answer  to 
my  own  prayers  ;  for  I  have  so  entreated  to  be  laid 
low  and  kept  humble,  because  I  felt  I  was  horribly 
self-complacent.  And  yet  I  cannot  but  thank  Him 
that  He  is  chastening  me  and  humbling  me  ;  I  know 
it  is  to  (]o  me  good  at  my  latter  ond.  And  this  r«- 
19 


218  M  K  M  u  1  j:    »)  :■•     \ .     !-•    >:  '■  w  r  o  x . 

viviil  of  old,  secrot,  unutlerablc  deeps  of  boitow, 
which  in  their  very  nature  seem  unfit  to  be  told  to 
any  one  on  earrh,  revives  a  hope  that  perhaps  God  is 
preparing  me  to  work  for  Ilim  again." 

"  Hard  thoughts  of  God,"  it  has  been  said,  "  is  the 
death  of  the  heavenly  life."  Dear  Adelaide  was  ever 
watching,  for  herself  and  for  others,  against  this 
snare.  "I  have  a  text  to  send  you,"  she  writes, 
June  12,  "  which  is  full  of  consolation  to  me;  it  is 
Ps.  xxxvi.  10,  with  Parkliurst's  Ilebrew  rendering, 
which  greatly  adds  to  its  force — '  O  draw  out  at 
length  Thine  exuberant  goodness  to  them  that  know 
Thee.'  The  word  we  render  loviugkindness  comes 
from  a  root,  '  to  swell  or  overflow  ;'  and  when  one  is 
made  to  feel  the  daily  and  hourly  need  we  have  for 
fresh  demands  upon  that  goodness,  is  it  not  sweet  to 
know  from  Himself  that  there  is  such  an  overflowing 
exuberance  of  it,  atid  to  know,  too,  that,  if  in  time  it 
is  a  stream  which  overflows  its  banks,  it  will  but  ex- 
pand into  ocean-fulness  in  the  ages  of  eternity  ? 
God  goes  on  teaching  me  that  every  fresh  ray  of 
light  from  above  does  but  make  manifest  some  fresh 
evil  within  me ;  but,  instead  of  occupying  one's 
moments  with  repetitions  of  the  deplorable  depravity 
which  seems  as  if  it  only  increased  upon  me  every 
day,  it  is  a  higher  and  better  oceuixition  to  try  and 
catch  even  a  glimpse  of  the  goodness  which  fills  the 
heart  of  Christ— is  it  not  ?  I  deeu.  it  my  sweetest 
privilege  to  bo  His  messenger  at  any  time,  to  pve 
you  any  word  from  His  mouth,  or  any  thought  from 
His  heart." 


EVILSPIUITS.  219 

And  in  another  letter,  lluis  :  "  That  passage,  Col 
ii.  13,  Jias  struck  me  very  much,  as  connecting  our 
quickening  with  our  forgiveness — '  You  hath  He 
(Quickened  together  with  Ilim,  having  forgiven  you 
all  trespasses.  Do  you  not  think  there  is  involved 
in  it,  that,  just  as  Christ's  resurrection  ])roved  Him 
to  have  been  owned  of  God  as  cleared  from  all  the 
load  of  iniquity  under  which  He  died,  so,  when  we 
are  quickened  with  Hiiu,  it  is  a  proof  that  we  are 
reckoned  clear  from  all  our  sin  and  guilt  ?  May  we 
not  take  the  fact  of  our  being  alive  (out  of  our  death 
in  sin)  as  certain  evidence  that  the  sin  which  was 
killing  us,  is  entirely  put  away  from  us  ?" 

Speaking   of  e\nl    spirits,  and   of  tlieir  mode  of 
■warfare  wnth  the  saints,  she  writes,  June  28,  to  the 

Hon.  Mrs.  C ,  thus :  "  Should  we   take  Satan's 

temptidions  of  the  Saviour  as  the  example  of  his 
ways  of  tempting  us  ?  Did  not  he  tempt  Christ  by 
presenting  objects  of  temptation — the  glory  of  this 
world,  &c.  ?  And  when  the  angel  from  heaven 
'  strengthened  Him,'  may  it  not  have  been  by  pre- 
senting suitable  objects,  such  as  should  predominate 
over  the  otliers  (as  '  the  joy  which  was  set  before 
nini')  ?  If  it  was  so,  may  there  not  be  a  parallel  ? 
This  is  the  first  thing  I  have  ever  got  hold  of,  whicli 
seemed  to  explain  Satan's  temptations  to  me." 

And  she  adds  :  "  I  have  a  thought  about  Eph.  vi. 
12,  which  I  can't  help  asking  you  about.  That 
epistle  seems  to  be  full  of  the  deepest  truths  of  any, 
and  for  the  most  advanced  believers  ;  and  if  so,  may 
not  their  very  advance  in  spirituality  lead  them  into  a 


220  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

spiiitual  wrestling  with  '  wicked  spirits,'  wliicli  in  a 
lower  atmosphere  of  spirituality  Chiistiaiis  are 
scarcely  so  much  as  aware  of?  C;in  I  give  you  the 
idea?  Certainlv  fighting  in  Canaan  is  far  beyond 
ionrneving  through  the  wilderness ;  and  I  should 
think  comparatively  few  (.'hristians  come  to  that 
reality  of  conflict.     What  do  you  think  ?" 

To  another,  on  July  10  (1851),  she  touclies  on  the 
same  subject,  thus:  "  My  mind  is  most  stirred  up 
just  now  about  '  the  woiking  of  Satan.'  It  has  been 
very  much  brought  to  my  notice  lately  ;  and  I  be- 
lieve there  is  danger  in  '  being  ignorant  of  his  de- 
vices' and  wiles.  Have  you  noticed,  in  Eph.  vi.,  that 
there  are  two  distinct  ways  in  which  he  attacks  us — 
V,  11,  by  his  'wilesj'  and  v.  16,  by  his  'fiery  darts.' 
In  such  a  fearful  matter,  it  is  inexpressibly  comforting 
that  both  these  verses  teach  us  that  the  armour  of 
God  is  abundantly  sufficient  to  preserve  us  from  all 
his  atta(;ks,  if  we  are  but  clothed  with  and  standing 
in  it.  All  his  fiery  darts  may  be  quenched  by  faith. 
,  The  'good  fight  of  faith  !'  How  much  coiifiict  goes 
on  in  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  inner  man,  unseen 
by  any  eyr  but  God's!" 

Adelaide  was  not  a  mystic,  but  an  earnest  worker. 
"  I  am  as  full  of  occupation  as  I  can  be,"  she  writes, 
July  12.  "aiMJ  all  for  llim  I  Is  net  that  sweet,  even 
though  much  of  it  may  be  passive  waiting  or  patient 
enduiing — and  that  takes  up  a  great  deal  of  time — 
does  it  not  ?  I  have  lately  had  great  encouragement 
about  the  Irish  work ;  indeed,  God  has  used  me  in 
many  ways." 


THE     "  CJ  R  E  A  T     D  A  Y  .*'  221 

And  again  :  "  I  never  can  express  the  happiness  I 
have  in  the  difterent  ways  God  suffers  me  to  give  up 
my  time  and  powers  to  His  work  and  service.  You 
have  a  work  to  do  which  I  can  never  have — and  it 
must  be  a  very  absorbing  one — I  mean  the  care  of 
your  sweet  children,  and  the  training  them  up  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  Oh  !  that  the 
seed  you  sow  may  bring  forth  fruit,  sixty  and  an 
hundred  fold !  Wliat  wonderful  things  w^e  may  ex- 
pect to  see  in  that  'great  day!'  the  seed  feebly  sown, 
and  perhaps  amidst  many  tears,  yet  multiplied  into  a 
harvest  of  many  sheaves  !'' 

And  on  July  23  :  "I  have  been  thinking  this  week 
of  Jesus  as  the  burnt-offering :  it  shows  the  perfec- 
ness  of  His  work  so  exquisitely  ;  every  thought,  word, 
and  feeling  being  first  consumed",  ami  then  ascending 
up  to  God  as  a  sweet  savour !  Don't  you  think  it  is 
a  very  great  help,  in  realising  your  own  acceptance, 
to  see  how  abundantly  God  was  satisfied  with  the', 
oftering  Jesus  presented  to  Him  in  our  behalf?  notj 
only  a  death  for  sin,  but  a  whole  life  of  spotless^, 
righteousness  !  God  '  takes  pleasure'  in  Jesus  and  in 
all  that  He  is  doing.  Is  it  not  a  shame  that  we 
should  ever  go  to  Him  for  pardon,  either  for  ourselves 
or  lor  others,  as  if  He  grudged  it  ?" 

All  her  visits  she  consecrated  to  the  Lord.     Writ- 
ing to  the  Hon.  Mrs.  C ,  on  July  26,  she  says : 

"  Mamma  has  kindly  arranged  to  let  me  have  the 
ci'.niage  tu-niori-ow  afternoon  to  drive  over.  Much 
as  I  lonof  to  see  you,  I  own  I  shall  come  in  weakness, 
an  1  fear,  and  much  trembling.  I  know  by  painful 
19^^ 


22'2  MEMOIR     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

experience  that  more  contact  with  this  evil  world  has 
most  sadly  blunted  the  comparatively  keen  edge  of 
my  spiritual  afiections ;  and  it  must  be  evident  in 
spiritual  communion.  But  I  still  hope  God  may 
bring  good  out  of  my  coming  to  you,  and  niay  make 
it  a  time  of  great  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord." 

And  to  one  of  her  sisters,  July  25  (1851) :  "  Did 
I  send  you  '  A  Very  Present  Help  ?'  Each  moment's 
need  through  life,  and  a  dying  moment's  need  at 
last,  has  made  it  seem  so  precious  to  me  lately.  As 
plainly  as  we  can  trace  the  workings  of  love  in  every 
event  of  Christ's  ministry  on  earth,  so  it  is  to  be  re- 
cognised in  every  event  He  administers  ft'om  His 
throne  in  heaven.  It  is  a  hard  lesson  to  learn  out — 
'  He  hath  done  all  things  well,'  however  fully  we  may 
believe  it ;  but  we  must  seek  for  grace  to  be  able  to 
say — '  I  am  content  to  fulfil  thy  will,  O  my  God.' 
O!  (he  fulness  of  that  word  'fulfil !'  to  fill  up  every 
particle  thereof,  like  a  vessel  filled  to  the  brim ! 
Who  is  sufficient  ?     Our  sufficiency  is  of  God." 

And  to  another,  on  August  8  :  "  I  have  not  been 

able  to  enjoy  Mrs.  C at  all  as  I  hoped  ;  for  they 

have  another  friend  staying  here  who  cannot  under- 
stand anything  beyond  the  merest  A  B  C  of  religion, 

and  Mrs.  C is  one  of  the  few  who  love  to  read 

the  Word  of  God  with  me,  and  to  dig  into  the  hidden 
treasures  of  Christ  to  be  found  in  it.  Still,  I  hope 
that,  however  disappointing,  I  may  be  learning  les- 
sons to  conform  me  to  Jesus,  especially  in  bearing 
the  infirmities  of  the  wrak,  and  in  feeling  what  it  is 


CARRYING     TUK     CROSS.  223 

nol  to  be  at  all  understood.  How  trying  that  must 
have  been  to  Him,  must  it  not  ?" 

Vinet  lias  remarked,  somewhere,  that  the  Church 
has  need  of  our  sufierings,  because  she  has  need  of 
our  services.  "As  for  the  inner  man,"  writes  dear 
Adelaide,  Aug.  22,  rejoicing  in  that  way  of  the 
Lord,  "  I  hope  that,  by  this  weariness  of  body,  He  is 
strengthening  uk;  with  strength  by  His  Spirit,  though 
it  is  rather  by  a  discipline  which  calls  forth  His  love 
into  exercise,  than  by  leading  me  by  the  still  waters, 
or  making  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures,  as  He 
has  often  done.    I  was  struck  with  the  way  in  which 

Mrs.  C often  told  me  it  was  '  so  strengthening 

to  carry  the  cross.'  How  delightful  it  is  to  know 
that  every  stage  of  our  journey  is  marked  out  by  un- 
erring love  !  and,  as  you  used  often  to  say,  '  divinely 
adapted '  to  our  weakness  !" 

And  she  adds  :  "  I  have  found  that  verse  very  pre- 
cious this  week — '  I  will  rebuke  the  devourer  for  your 
sakes,  and  he  shall  not  destroy  the  fruits  of  your 
ground.'  (Mai.  iii  11.)  It  is  so  beautiful  with  that 
verse  in  Lev.  xxv. — '  I  will  command  my  blessing 
upon  you.'  I  think  the  great  enemy  of  souls  so  often 
mars  and  corrupts  our  fruits  by  causing  jjride  to  bud, 
or  by  sending  some  secret  sin  to  eat  at  their  root  al- 
most unperceived  by  us.  And  is  it  not  very  precious 
to  go  to  God  with  His  own  Word  of  promise  in  our 
mouth  that  He  will  not  suffer  our  fruits  to  be  de- 
stroyed ?" 

And  again:  "I  have  liked  Ezck.  xxxvi.  29  also 
rerv  much,  \v  connexion  with  Mai.  iii.  11.     It  is  not 


2l'4  m  t  m  o  I  ic    0  I"    A  .    I. .    N  K  wr  O  N  . 

only  that  IIo  will  cleanse  us  from  all  our  filthiuess 
(Ezek.  xxxvi.  25),  but  He  adds — 'I  will  also  save  you 
from  all  your  uncleannesses ;  and  I  will  call  for  the 
corn  and  will  increase  it,  and  lay  no  famine  upon 
you.'  The  restraining  grace  ot"  God  is  so  exceedingly 
precious,  in  all  that  He  saves  us  from — is  it  not?  1 
think,  sometimes,  that  it  will  be  one  of  the  many  re- 
served subjects  of  thankfulness  and  praise  which  we 
shall  understand  hereafter.  '  I,  the  Lord,  do  keep  it, 
and  I  will  water  it  every  moment :  lest  any  hurt  it,  I 
will  keep  it  night  and  day.'  " 

She  devoted  many  of  her  hours  this  summer  and 
autumn  to  the  study  of  Hebrew.  "  It  is  so  intensely 
interesting,"  she  writes,  Aug.  30,  "  and  seems  to  lead 
one  to  so  very  much  fuller  a  knowledge  of  God's 
thoughts  in  His  Wouls — those  precious  Words  which 
have  come  forth  out  of  His  mouth  !  I  do  long,"  she 
adds,  "  to  dig  deeper  and  deeper  into  that  mine  of 
sanctifying  wealth.  I  cannot  tell  how  I  enjoy  search- 
ing out  the  idea  which  ea(!h  word  is  intended  to 
convey.  It  runs  away  with  many  an  hour  of  my 
time — I  hope  not  unprofitably." 

A  "weight"  which  hinders  many  a  pilgrim's  race 
she  exposes  in  the  same  letter,  thus :  "  How  slow  we 
are  to  learn  that  our  portion  in  this  life,  as  ordained 
by  God,  need  be  no  hindrance,  to  our  onward, upward, 
heavenward  course  !  I  am  so  fearfully  irritated  and 
])rovoked  by  others,  that  (clouds  are  ever  and  anon 
hiding  from  me  the  heavenly  sunshine  which  is  be- 
yon  1  them.     Oil  I  what  a  den  of  iniquity  one's  evil 


SELF-REPROACH.  225 

heart  of  unbolief  is !  How  precious  the  spotless 
robe  which  covers  it !" 

It  was  no  incapacity  to  enjoy  the  world's  pleasures 
which  had  separated  her  from  its  ways.  Before  her 
illness,  slie  had  lost  all  relish  for  thcni ;  and  now, 
Avhen  compaiative  health  was  giving  her  "  oppor- 
tunity to  return,"  she  still  "  chose  the  better  part." 
"I  have  written   a  note,"  she  says,  August  31,  "  to 

send,  through  you,  to  Mrs. ,  as  I  have  no  idea 

where  she  is.  I  try  to  urge  her  to  be  more  decided 
for  God.  God  has  wonderfully  helped  me  not  to 
give  in  at  all  about  becoming  more  worldly.  I  am 
resolved,  by  His  grace,  to  be  as  openly  given  up  to 
the  '  one  thing'  needful  now,  as  wluen  I  was  too  ill  to 
attend  to  other  things.  He  is  very  good  to  let  me 
bear  this  testimony  for  Him.  I  feel  it  to  be  a  great 
privilege,  though  each  day  it  is  more  difficult." 

The  self-reproach  which  continued  to  sting  her  so 
often,  was  the  result  only  of  a  conscience  more  sen- 
sitive to  sin  by  reason  of  a  closer  fellowship  with 
God.  "I  see  plainly,"  she  writes,  Sept.  5,  "that 
half  I  sufier  arises  from  a  desire  to  be  comfortable 
and  able  to  enjoy  myself  in  this  life.  I  know  but 
little  of  taking  up  a  cross.  How  the  life  which  Jesus 
lived  shames  me!  You  cannot  believe  how  little  I 
have  of  that  charity  which  is  'not  easily  provoked.' 
I  need  not  multiply  words  to  tell  you  the  delight  it 
would  be  to  me  to  see  you  and  hear  you  talk  of 
Jesus — our  dear,  precious  Saviour,  and  of  our  better 
and  abiding  home.     I    might  be,  with  God's  bless- 


'_'■-' 0  M  K  M  O  I  H     OF     \  .     r,.     N  E  W  T  O  N"  . 

inij,  ail  opportunity  of  much  recovery  and  restoration 
to  my  sin-sick  soul/' 

And,  on  Sept.  10,  revealing  the  secret  of  her 
^bereaved  heart's  coflsolation,  she  writes:  "The  em- 
phatic silence  of  Scripture  as  to  any  meeting  together 
of  believers  before  the  resurrection,  and  then  the  con- 
stant and  direct  assurance  of  it  at  the  resurrection, 
seem  sufficient  ground  for  believing  that  there  vill 
not  be  recognition  in  the  state  of  absence  from  the 
body.  Of  course,  I  would  not  affirm  that  there  mat/ 
not  be  recognition.  Every  single  passage,  however, 
where  the  subject  of  the  unclothed  state  is  spoken 
of,  makes  the  'being  with  Christ^  the  fulness  of 
their  joy.  And  do  you  think  it  in  the  least  likely 
that  the  hope  of  seeing  our  beloved  ones  again  would 
have  been  deferred  to  the  resurrection-time  (as  it  is 
in  1  Thess.  iv.),  if  it  had  been  to  be  realized  after 
death  ? 

"  To  my  own  mind,"  she  adds,  "  there  is  something 
intensely  solemnizing  and  unutterably  precious  in  the 
thought  of  being  (if  one  may  so  speak)  shut  up  to 
Jesus  during  that  season — so  filled  with  the  bliss  of 
being  with  TTim  as  to  need  and  desire  nothing  more 
— and  yet  capable  of  such  an  expanded  increase  of 
enjoyment,  when  that  waiting  state  is  ended,  and 
when  we  shall  all  be  gathered  '  together'  to  Tlim,  and 
all  see  His  perfect  image  in  one  another,  both  visibly 
in  our  bodies  and  spiritually  in  our  souls !" 

And,  led  into  a  kindred  region  of  Christian  expe- 
rience, she  proceeds:  "That  sympathy  of  spiritual 
feeling  which  we  must  believe   to  exist  in    a   perfect 


"desirks"    and    "guoans."        227 

degree  between  the  spirits  made  perfect,  exists  also, 
imperfectly,  betwixt  us  on  earth  and  those  with  Jesus. 
It  seems  only  our  earthine?s  which  makes  us  realize 
it  so  very  little  in  general.  Xlie  more  I  think  of  the 
whole  subject,  the  more  strongly  I  am  made  to  feel 
the  absolute  oneness  of  the  whole  family  of  God,  in 
whichever  of  all  our  varied  states  we  maybe.  God's 
eye  must  look  upon  each  and  all  as  members  of  the 
body  of  Jesus  ;  and  don't  you  think  that,  in  propor- 
tion as  His  Spirit  dwells  in  us,  we  feel  ourselves 
united  to  all  in  Him — the  whole  fomily  in  '  heaven 
and  in  earth  ?'  " 

And  in  the  same  letter :  " '  Lord,  all  my  desire  isl 
before  thee,  and  my  groaning  is  not  hid  from  thee.'l 
Each  word  has  been  full  of  comfort  to  me  lately. 
'Desires'  and  'groans'  all  Arnomn,  even   when  one 
can  scarcely  utter  either  !     And  the  particular  feel- 
ing which  that  verse  had  so  fully  expressed  for  me  is,  | 
that  when  a  whole  day,  or  perhaps  many  days,  have  f 
slipped  away,  and  I  could  scarcely  say  that  I  had  | 
prayed  at  all,  the  very  groanings  of  one's  spirit  have  ' 
been  heard  and  heeded  in  the  upper  sanctuary  of  our  \ 
God.     You  will  understand  what  I  mean,  though  ly 
don't  know  how  to  say  it." 

Referring  to  some  new  tracts  which  she  was  pub- 
lishing, she  writes,  Sept.  18  (1851):  "Perhaps  I  am 
too  cautious  and  fearful,  but  I  never  dare  take  any 
step  in  the  way  of  printing,  unless  I  see  what  I 
believe  to  be  indications  from  God  that  He  'has 
need'  of  my  attempts  to  serve  Him."  And  she  adds: 
"  Mr.  Gell  said  in  his  sermon  last  week,  that  no  one 


228  MEMOIH     Of     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

should  lliink  liiinself  of  no  use  to  Christ,  for  He 
never  says  to  any  of  Ilis  members,  '  I  have  no  need 
of  thee.'  He  has  need.  "Wliat  an  insignificant  ani- 
mal it  was  said  of  originally,  '  The  Lord  has  need  of 
it.'  So  I  thought  that  He  might  have  need  of  me, 
though  perhaps  He  does  not  need  my  tracts ;  and 
then  I  hope  I  shall  be  hindered  from  thrusting  them 
in  His  way." 

Like  the  oak  which  strikes  deeper  its  roots  by 
reason  of  the  winter's  blast,  dear  Ad^'laide's  heart 
was,  by  reason  of  her  manifold  trials,  fixing  iteelf  day 
by  day  more  stedfastly  in  Christ.  "  My  mind,"  she 
Avrites,  whilst  on  a  visit  to  a  not  very  congenial  circle, 
"  is  very  much  distracted  here  ;  but  I  really  bel'eve 
it  is  good  to  be  shaken  out  of  dependence  on  or 
rest  in  outward  circumstances  in  all  ways.  It  makes 
me  feel  how  firm  the  ground  is,  in  resting  on  the 
Ro^kofAges." 

"  0  Lord,  we  happy  children, 
"Whilst  yet  on  earth  we  roam, 
Find  in  our  Fatlier's  bosom 
Our  spirits'  present  home : 

"  For  wliero  thou  art  reclining, 
By  faith  we  too  repose, 
In  thee  all  rais'd  to  heaven. 
When  thou,  our  Head  arose." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Ritualism  is  not  Christ.  Writing  to  a  school- 
fellow whom  the  prevailing'  ritualistic  tendencies  of 
the  day  threatened  to  ensnare,  she  writes  :  "  I  grieve 
to  hear  so  poor  an  account  of  the  place  you  are 
staying  at ;  but,  do  you  know,  I  don't  think  refor- 
mation would  be  half  so  efFectually  brought  about  by 
repairing  the  church  svs  by  visiting  the  people. 
Don't  you  think  it  is  a  great  mistake  in  these  days 
to  make  so  much  of  church-architecture  and  outside 
things,  instead  of  real,  downright,  earnest  prayer 
for  the  work  of  God's  oninipoteut  Spirit  to  change 
the  stony  hearts  of  the  unconverted  amongst  both 
rich  and   poor  ?     I  think  it  is   a  great   snare.      I 

iireatlv  fear  T is   slightly  poisoned    with    the 

High-Churchisra  of  these  days ;  though  he  denies  it 
in  Avords,  his  letters  have  betrayed  it  to  me.  Oh, 
how  almost  universal  it  is  !  My  book  on  Solomon's 
Song  is  full  of  the  Church  ;  but  it  is  the  Church 
as  Christ's  Bride,  not  as  an  ecclessiastical  body, 
'  The  Church  which  is  His  body,'  is  my  uotiou  of  the 
Church." 

On  another  occasion,  addressing  the  same  corre- 
spondent, she  writes :  "  I  hope  tlie  clergyman  you 
'20 


230  MEMOIR     OP     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

mention  is  not  the  same  as  a  fi'iend  of  ours  heard 
whtMi  she  was  at  A ;  for  he  was  far  from  preach- 
ing the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  Oh,  how  sadly  in 
these  days  the  Church  is  exalted,  and  Jesds  left  out ! 
To  look  at  things,  as  /  cannot  fail  to  do,  more  in  the 
light  of  eternity  than  others  who  liave  not  felt  on  its 
brink,  makes  everything  which  will  last  only  whilst 
time  lasts,  appear  comparatively  unworthy  of  thought ; 
whilst  the  thinG:s  which  are  imseen — the  Spirit  work- 
ing in  us  (like  the  wind,  which  is  heard,  though  un- 
seen), Christ  who  is  our  life  (though  now  hid  within 
the  vail),  the  sustaining  vital  principle  of  God's 
strength  made  perfect  in  our  weakness — all  these 
truths  are  forgotten  or  not  to  be  talked  about,  because 
they  are  too  sacred  !  and  wo  live  very  unlike  those 
who  are  sojourners  only  in  a  world  which  must  itself 
soon  pass  away. 

"  But,"  she  adds,  "  there  are  many  who  are  arous- 
ing from  such  a  Hfe,  and  devoting  themselves  as 
servants  to  do  their  Master's  work,  sowing  seed  now 
to  reap  the  harvest  hereafter.  This  seems  to  me  the 
only  true  value  of  life.  Were  it  not  for  this,  it  would 
be  far  better  to  depart  so  soon  as  the  soul  is  won  to 
Jesus.  But,  in  the  bearing  which  each  moment  has 
upon  eternity,  the  saint  is  sowing  '  to  the  Spirit'  as 
truly  as  the  ungodly  are   sowin'j:  wind   to  reap  the 

whirlwind  !     Dear ,  do  pray  for  me,  that  what 

yet  remains  to  me  of  life  may  be  each  moment  spent 
for  God :  I  ask  it  for  you — I  feel  it  to  be  of  such 
eternal  importance." 

One  day  Henry  Martyn,  after  preaching  in  Gal- 


THE     ELECTRIC     WIRE.  '231 

^utta  on  the  cross  of  Clinst  as  the  only  ^^■.^y  of  life, 
was  publicly  charged  with  "  driving  men  to  inopish- 
ness,  melancholy,  and  despair."  Starting  soon  after- 
wards for  Dinapore,  he  was  met  on  his  way  by  some 
brethren  who  had  assembled  to  commend  him  to 
God.  "My  soul  never  had  such  Divine  enjoyment," 
he  writes,  contrasting  the  pleasant  fellowship  with 
the  heartless  ritualism  which  he  ha<l  left  behind  in 
Calcutta;  "  I  felt  a  desire  to  break  fioni  the  body, 
and  join  the  high  praises  of  the  Church  above. 
May  I  go  in  the  strength  of  this  many  days !" 
Dear  Adelaide  also  had  select  hearts  in  whose 
sympathies  she  found  a  congenial  home.  "  I  do 
so  feel,"  she  writes,  "  that  very  spiritual  thoughts 
can  be  expressed  in  spirit  to  God,  but  not  in  words 
to  man,  except  as  His  Spirit  makes  two  minds  to 
receive  the  same  thoughts,  and  then  they  are  mutu- 
ally understood,  though  scarcely,  perhaps,  expressed 
at  all." 

Does  not  this  account  for  tliat  mysterious  com- 
munion of  thought  and  of  feeling  which  pervades, 
like  one  electric  wire,  the  saints  v.ho  dwell  in  the 
secret  of  the  Lord's  presence?  And  does  it  not 
account  also  for  that  not  less  mysterious  incapacity 
of  other  saints  to  receive  certain  truths  which  their 
brethren  discern  on  the  sacred  page,  written  as  with 
a  sunbeam  ? 

Like  Martyn,  she  often  longed  to  "join  the  high 
praises  of  the  Church  above."  "  Frequently  I  wish," 
she  writes,  "  to  be  gone  to  my  real  home,  and  to  be 
with   Jesus."      And,  on   Sept.    19    (1851):    "It   is 


232  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

siiig-ular  that  you  slioiild  have  been  readino;  tlie 
seventy -first  Psahn  hitely.  There  is  such  precious 
intercourse  in  it  betwixt  one's  own  soul  and  God! 
I  was  thinking  last  Sunday  how  very  partially  it 
could  be  realised  by  us  in  this  short  life,  and 
how  greatly  we  needed  an  eternal  day,  such  as  we 
shall  soon  have,  in  which  to  show  forth  the  now  un- 
known numbers  of  the  salvation,  and  victories,  and 
rigliteousness  of  God.  ^yill  it  not  be  blessed  with 
an  incorruptible  and  immortal  body,  to  have  our 
'lips'  and  'tongue'  and  'mouth'  filled  with  His 
honour  and  praise,  literally  and  uninterruptedly  '  all 
the  day  long?'  and  our  souls,  too,  will  then  so 
''f/rcatly  rejoice"in  the  perfection  of  our  Redeemer's 
work !"' 

Brainerd  in  his  Diary  speaks  of  being  so  occupied 
with  God  and  His  perfections,  as  exhibited  in  the 
Gospel  of  His  grace,  that  his  own  personal  self 
ceased  to  have  a  place  in  his  thoughts.  "  There 
is  something,"  writes  dear  Adelaide,  ex|)ressing  a 
like  experience,  "  in  the  very  love  of  our  hearts  to- 
wards God's  'salvation,'  which  in  itself  is  quite  in- 
expressible. This  Psalm  (seventy-first)  gives  vent  to 
so  much  of  it  to  God,  in  a  way  which  one  feels  He 
can  appreciate,  though  almost  no  one  else  could  tell 
what  our  own  secret  experience  means  when  it 
praises  Him  for  His  glory,  and  beauty,  and  righteous- 
ness, and  truth  !" 

One  of  her  trials  and  triumphs  of  taith  she  notes 
in  another  letter,  Oct.  1,  thus:  "The  text  wliidi 
Las  been   given    most   einphatically  to  me  Lul;;   is 


G  O  D  '  S     T  U  A  1  N  I  N  G  .  233 

Ps.  xxxi.  20.  The  wonl  we  render  '  pride,'  means 
'  rough,  proud,  untractable,  vexatious  in  temper  and 
action,  which  are  in  life  like  rugged  knobs  in  a 
road,'  being  the  same  word  as  in  Isaiah  xl.  4,  '  rough 
places,  or  rugged,  difficult  to  pass  ;  a  chain  of  moun- 
tains.' Does  not  this  give  a  marvellous  fulness  of 
meaning  to  that  precious  promise — 'Thou  shalt  hide 
them  in  the  secret  of  thy  presence  from  the  pride  of 
man' — from  those  who  are  ever  vexing  one's  temper, 
whenever  one  meets  with  them,  by  the  rugged  knobs 
which  they  lay  in  our  way,  so  very  difficult  to  pass  ? 
I  am  not  sure  whether  you  are  tried  by  people  as  I 
am ;  but  I  feel  certain  that  you  will  enter  into  the 
comfort  of  a  promise  -like  this.  Just  to  feel,  when 
the  trial  is  pressing  hard  upon  one,  that  now  is  the 
moment  when  God  is  hiding  one  in  the  secret  of 
His  presence !  Oh  !  it  is  inexpressible  relief.  What 
wonderful  training  God's  is,"  she  udds ;  "  it  is  so 
much  of  it  unperceived,  not  only  by  others,  but  even 
by  one's-self  at  the  time !  I  so  very  often  forget 
that  He  is  concerning  Himself  about  me  in  each 
momentary  occurrence  of  the  day.  'The  Lord  tliiuk- 
eth  upon  me' — '  with  great  exactness'  (according  to 
Dr.  Wilson).  I  must  be  intensely  provoking  to 
Him  !  Nothing  astonishes  me  more  sometimes  than 
that  He  never  wearies  of  me." 

And  to  another :  "  I  am  sure  that  you  have  had 
some  very  blessed  communion  with  Jesus  in  His 
Word  ;  and  I  hope  that  you  will  have  no  silent 
moments  even,  but  that  the  Spirit  may  be  speaking 
peace   to  your   s-)ul    continually.     May  I  send  you 


234  M  E  M  O  I  r.     OF     A  .     1. .     NEWTON. 

these  two  words,  '  Meat  indeed,'  with  a  heartfelt  ^\^sh 
that  you  may  be  richly  fed  and  feasted  witli  all  that 
is  in*  Jesus?  '  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness.' 
*  I  sat  down  under  His  shadow  with  great  delight, 
and  Ilis  fruit  was  sweet  to  my  taste.'  How  sweet 
that  repose  may  be  in  this  life,  as  a  kind  of  foretaste 
of  the  rest  which  remaiiieth  !  '  ^lany  shall  come 
from  the  east  and  west,  and  shall  sit  down.'  Did 
you  ever  think  particularly  of  the  rest  from  warfare, 
and  journeying,  and  Aveariness,  which  is  imjilied  in 
the  words  ?" 

A  solace  for  the  sick  chamber  she  puts  thus  :  "  I 
comfort  myself  with  that  wonderful  promise  that 
God  Himself  will  be  strengthening  you  upon  the  bed 
of  languishing,  and  will  Himself  make  your  bed. 
Don't  you  like  the  marginal  reading  there — '  Turn 
youi'  bed?'  the  word  meaning,  to  'turn  or  change 
the  condition  of  a  thing.'  T  think  it  must  be  meant 
to  teach  iis  God's  minute  knowledge  and  care  about 
our  earthly  tabcinacle,  showing  that  He  can  adapt 
His  omnipotence  as  well  to  the  le;.st  thing  in  a  sick- 
room as  to  the  greatest  thing  in  a  kingdom." 

The  Word  grew  daily  in  preciousness.  "  I  have 
been  looking  out,"  slie  writes  to  Mrs.  Cams  Wilson, 
Oct.  6  (1851),  "all  the  dift'erent  meaning-s  to  the 
Hebrew  words  for  prayer,  and  have  found  nearly 
thirty,  each  having  sonic  rather  different  idea  at^ 
lached  to  it.  One,  for  instance,  signifies  *  a  low, 
A'hispering  sound'  (see  Isa.  .\xvi.  16,  marg.,  '  secret 
speech') ;  another,  '  words  set  in  order  before  God, 
like  the  show-hroad'  (as  in  Ps.  v.  3,  '  In  the  morning 


FUTUHE     AWARD.  235 

will  I  direct  ray  piayer  uri(o  thee,  and  will  look  up'): 
there  is  also  (he  pom  iiig  out  of  the  soul  like  liquids  : 
and  there  is  the  opening  of  the  heart,  like  a  cloud  of 
incense  expanding  itself,  &c.,  &c. ;  all  showing,  I 
think,  most  wonderfully  the  minuteness  with  which 
God  has  tauii'ht  us  how  -well  He  knows  all  our  varied 
ways  of  approaching  Him." 

The  issues  of  this  momentous  now  !  who  shall  fitly 
conceive  them  ? 

"  Each  breath  is  burdened  with  a  bidding,  and  every  minute 
has  its  mission." 

And  what  a  mission  !  "  Mv.  Stowell  was  lately 
quoting,"  she  writes,  Oct.  19,  "a  remark  from  some 
old  writer,  of  the  necessity  for  the  judgment  to  be 
passed  on  individuals  being  delayed  till  the  end  of 
time,  because  their  works  do  not  end  with  their 
death ;  for  instance,  parents,  in  training  their  chil- 
dren, might  not  reap  the  fruit,  perhaps,  for  many 
years  after  they  were  dead — and  so  on.  In  think- 
ing of  this,  I  began  to  see  such  wonderful  heights 
and  depths  in  the  judgment  of  God,  that  I  have 
been  lost  in  adoration.  To  think  that  a  wor<l  spoken 
or  written  may  be  like  a  graiti  of  seed  cast  into  the 
earth,  to  be  multiplied  a  thousand-fold,  and  re-sowu 
perhaps  again  and  jigain  from  one  to  another !  and 
vet  that  each  will  have  exactly  his  own  measure  of 
reward  in  tlie  great  day  of  reckoning — oh  !  is  it  not 
amazing? 

''D;)n't  you  think,"  she  continues,  "that  it  will 
glorify  God  very  exceedingly  then  ?     We  could  not 


236  M  E  M  0  I  H     OF     A  .     L  .     N  E  W  J'  O  N  . 

determine  wliat  sliare  we  have  lia^l  in  tlio  ijood  wliich 
Las  been  wrought,  if  one  person  wrote  a  book, 
another  gave  it  away,  and  another  lent  it — or,  to  go 
further  back,  how  much  the  writer  of  it  may  have 
learned  from  books  he  had,  and  from  thoughts  ho 
had  gathered  from  others !  One  seems  lost  in  a 
labyrinth  of  which  one  knows  next  to  nothing;  and 
yet  each  link  of  the  chain  must  be  so  clear  in  the  eye 
of  God,  that  lie  will  be  able  to  give  to  each  precisely 
what  their  thoughts,  and  words,  and  actions  will  have 
produced  in  all  their  varied  and  multiplied  results. 
Did  you  ever  exactly  think  of  it  in  this  way  ?  it 
seems  to  have  opened  up  such  a  field  of  wonder  to 
my  mind  !  And  while,  on  the  one  hand,  it  seems  to 
fill  every  moment  of  time  with  immensely  increased 
importance,  giving  us  an  interest  in  it  not  oidy 
during  our  own  short  span  of  life,  but  until  time 
shall  be  no  more,  it  also  gives  one  an  idea  of  the 
boundlessness  of  God's  knowledge  and  of  the  recti- 
tude with  which  He  will  come  to  judgment,  which 
fills  one  with  adoring  wonder  and  delight !  Of 
course,  you  will  not  misunderstand  me  as  meaning 
anything  of  merit  in  this." 

Luther  used  to  say  that  "justification  by  faith 
alone,"  was  "  the  article  of  a  standing  or  of  a  falling 
Church."  Dear  Adelaide  felt  it  day  by  day  to  be 
the  article  of  a  standing  or  of  a  falling  Christian. 
"  What  a  gloiious  subject  the  atonement  is  !"  she 
writes,  referring  to  Lev.  xvi.  "  The  perfect  remis- 
sion of  our  sins  through  the  one  offering,  the  Lord 
Jesus   Christ,  once   and    for  ever !       \o   woi-ks,   no 


AN     ANXIETY     CALMKD.  237 

repentance,  no  services  needed  for  our  acceptance 
with  God ;  for  all  was  wrought  for  us  in  Jesus. 
How  this  relieves  the  anxious,  burdened  mind  of 
the  poor  sinner  !  He  comes  to  God  in  the  imputed 
rio^hteousness  of  Him  who  stood  in  liis  place  as  a  sin- 
offering. 

And  in  another  letter  :  "  I  am  glad  you  are  inter- 
ested with  the  subject  of  the  priestdood — it  is  im- 
mensely wide.  Think  of  the  'spiiitual  sacrifices'  we 
are  to  offer  as  God's  holy  and  royal  priesthood,  ren- 
dered acceptable  as  they  are  '  by  Jesus  Christ,'  our 
'great  High  Priest.'  '  Present  your  bodies  a  'living 
sacriticc' — is  not  that  a  remarkable  expression?  A 
lamb,  when  once  offeied,  was  dead  ;  but  we  are  to 
go  on  offering  our  bodies,  to  be  consumed  in  the 
flame  of  love  continually — the  sacrifice  of  one's 
whole  life  !  And  don't  you  think  we  are  to  offer 
our  talents,  and  lime,  and  money,  and  affections  as 
'  spiritual  sacrifices,'  to  be  burnt  or  consumed  on  the 
altar  of  Christ's  body,  i.e.,  His  members  on  earth, 
that  they  may  daily  ascend  as  a  sweet  savour  to  God 
by  Christ  Jesus  ?" 

One  of  her  anxieties  she  calmed  thus — the  v.ords 

occur  in  a  note  to  the  Hon,  Mrs.  C ,  dated  Nov. 

3  (1851):  "I  have  been  gathering  comfort  lately 
from  a  marginal  reading  the  139th  Psalm.  I  dou't 
know  whether  it  may  have  struck  you  ;  but,  in  con- 
nexion with  a  view  which  is  sometimes  taken,  that 
verses  14-16  refer  to  the  mystical  body  of  Jesus,  i: 
is  very  interesting,  I  think.  'Thine  eyes  did  see  my 
piibstnnce,  vet   br-ing  imperfect ;  nnd  in  thy  book  nl) 


238  M  K  M  O  I  U     OF     A       L .     NEWTON. 

my  members  were  written,  what  days  they  should  he 
fashioned,  when  as  yet  there  was  none  of  tliera.'  Is 
it  not  a  nice  verse  to  think  of,  when  one  is  anxious 
about  any  one  as  to  their  spiritual  condition,  if  their 
conversion  seems  to  be  very  long  delayed?  each 
member  of  the  body  being  foshioned  in  the  day 
which  is  written  in  God's  book!" 

And  she  adds:  "I  do  indeed  feel,  as  you  say,  that 
such  thoughts  are  ovei'whelming  to  our  finite  minds, 
connected  as  they  are  with  regions  unexplored  almost 
by  the  most  matured  faith.  Yet  tlie  little  glimpses 
of  heavenly  light  which  come  down,  like  the  rays  of 
the  sun  behind  a  cloud,  upon  our  earthly  heaits,  are 
very  sweet.  They  seem  to  tell  of  a  light  whicdi  we 
are  not  yet  '  able  to  bear.'  " 

This  life's  brief  hour  is  our  infancy  ;  our  manhood 
is  in  the  age  to  come :  but  the  sapling  is  now  receiv- 
ing its  bent. 

"  Character  groweth  day  by  day,  and  all  things  aid  in  ita 
unfolding." 

Feeling  the  overwiielmi ng  weight  of  this  fact,  Ade- 
laide writes,  Nov.  17,  thus  :  "  Has  it  ever  struck  you, 
in  reading  Revelation,  how  each  of  the  songs  which 
are  there  recorded  as  sung  ly  the  saints  in  glory, 
refers  to  their  own  specific  characters  and  discipline 
on  earth  ?  For  example — the  song  of  the  twenty- 
four  elders  and  four  living  creatures,  in  Rev.  v.  9,  10, 
on  the  opening  of  the  seven-seTiled  book  (which  must, 
T  think,  refer  to  some  })art  of  Ciirist's  redeeming 
work  ;  and  the  context  leads  me  to  conclude  it  must 


A     FRESH     OLIMPSE.  239 

be  the  redemption  of  this  oaith).  Then  the  song  of 
the  countless  niuUitude,  in  ch.  vii.  9,  10.  And  the 
song  of  the  144,000  'redeemed  from  the  earth,'  in 
ch.  xiv.  1-5.  And  the  song  of  the  victors  over  the 
beast,  in  ch.  xv.  2-4.  And  in  ch.  xix.,  the  united 
voices  of  the  heavenly  throng,  'saying.  Alleluia.' 
Don't  you  think  it  gives  immense  interest  to  each 
day's  existence  here,  to  see  how  the  character  of  our 
praises  hereafter  will  be  connected  with  it  ?  May 
Jesus  be  ever  present  with  your  spirit,  and  give  you 
sweet  foretastes  of  the  fellowship  which  you  are  to 
enjoy  with  Him  through  all  eternity !  And  may 
His  mercv,  peace,  and  love  be  multiplied  to  you 
moment  by  moment  till  you  '  enter  into  peace' — the 
desired  haven  I" 

The  person  of  Christ  continued  to  be  the  centre 
of  her  heart's  desires.  "I  was  so  delighted,"  she 
writes,  Nov.  28,  in  allusion  to  Ezek.  i.,  "  with  the 
way  it  ends,  pointing  to  '  the  appearance  of  a  man' 
as  the  very  centre  of  all  the  glory,  and  Himself  the 
'  brightness'  of  the  glory !  Are  you  not  delighted 
when  you  catch  a  fresh  glimpse  of  Jesus  in  a  passage 
of  the  Old  Testament  where  you  had  not  seen  Him 
before  ?  It  seems  as  if  the  Spirit  were  actually 
engao-ed  with  us  in  slunving  us  something  more  of 
Him? 

And,  indicating  another  of  the  Lord's  ways,  she 
writes:  How  long  it  sometimes  takes  to  answer 
prayer !  and  how  unhCely  the  several  stejis  seem  to 
{)e,  by  which  it  is  answered  !  It  was  the  case  of 
Israel  in  Exod.  ii.  and  iii.,  which  struck  me  so  much 


2  so  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

They  ciie<],  and  their  cry  came  u\)  unto  (rod,  at  the 
very  time  of  their  distress  (Exod.  ii.  23-25)  ;  and 
He  seems  at  once  to  have  spoken  to  Moses  about  it, 
saying,  '  I  have  surely  seen  the  affliction  of  my 
people  which  are  in  Egypt,'  and  I  am  come  down 
to  deliver  them.'  (Exod.  iii.  Y,  8.)  And  yet,  in 
the  first  instance,  they  could  not  have  had  the  least 
idea  that  God  was  answering  them ;  for  He  only 
spoke  to  Moses,  and  Moses  was  in  another  land. 
Then  Moses  caused  a  delay  by  his  unbelief,  so  that 
the  Israelites  did  not  get  the  assurance  that  their 
cries  had  been  heard  until  the  end  of  the  fourth 
chapter.  Then  after  that,  instead  of  immediate  de- 
livrrance,  their  bondage  was  actually  increased  ;  and 
when  God  again  assured  Moses  that  He  would  fulfil 
all  His  promises  to  them,  in  ch.  vi.  1-8,  they  were 
so  bowed  down  with  'anguish  of  s])irit  and  cruel 
bondage'  that  they  could  not  believe  it  was  true.  It 
gave  them  no  comfort  whatever,  and  their  misery 
altogether  seemed  immensely  increased.  Then  Pha- 
raoh was  another  great  hindrance,  and  again  and 
again  (lod  gave  him  '  respite' — all  which  must  have 
been  exceedingly  difiicult  to  the  Israelites  to  under- 
stand. Surely  it  must  have  been  a  very  great  tiial 
of  faith,  and  one  which  must  have  lasted  some 
mouths,  as  far  as  I  can  make  it  out,  though  the 
rmmber  of  days  is  not  always  specified  a.s  to  the 
length  of  the  plagues,  &c.  And  yet  God  was  in  fact 
answering  their  prayer  all  that  time,  was  He  not? 
And  at  last  the  deliverance  really  came,  and  at '  the 


T  H  E     R  A  V  E  N  9.  241 

set  time' — 'at   the   end  of  tlie  430  } ears,  even  the 
self-snme  day.' " 

To  a  fellow-pilgrim  who  seemed  near  her  home 
she  writes,  Dec.  4  (1851) :  "I  do  not  feel  as  if  I 
could  bear  to  think  of  losing  you  ;  but  I  would  like 
to  lose  my  will  in  God's.  The  thought  of  your  be- 
ing '  with  the  Lord'  is  too  bright  to  make  one  wish 
to  detain  any  one  down  here  in  such  a  world  of 
darkness,  ruin,  curse,  and  death.  But  to  know  the 
sovereignty  of  God's  unalterable  purpose  silences 
many  wishes.  Each  link  in  the  chain  has  its  own 
ritdit  place.  Those  words  in  Joshua  i.  11  are  so 
precious — '  Within  three  days  ye  shall  pass  over 
this  Jordan !'  The  limited,  fore-ordained,  fixed 
time;  the  safe  passage  over;  the  certainty  of  enter- 
ing Canaan  ;  and  the  fact  of  its  beiug  God's  gift — 
are  all  so  sweetly  brought  out ;  and  I  like  the 
thought  too  so  very  much  of  the  three  days'  prepa- 
ration— lodging  on  the  borders  of  Canaan  in  such 
composure,  whilst,  in  leaving  Egypt,  they  had  to  be 
in  such  haste." 

For  some  time  back,  she  had  forwarded  to  a  dear 
friend  fortnightly  a  paper  of  "  texts  for  each  day." 
Writing,  on  Dec.  12  (1851),  with  the  texts  for  the 
t\\  o  last  weeks  of  the  year,  she  says :  "  Sometimes 
I  hope  I  have  been  permitted  to  bring  you  daily 
food  in  the  desert,  as  the  ravens  fed  Elijah  ;  and  if 
so,  I  am  thankful  for  the  privilege,  and  shall  be  more 
thankful  if  I  am  allowed  still  to  minister  to  you  as 
lone:  •''s  you  are  in  an  earthly  tabernacle  to  need  it. 
How  different  it  will  be  when  '  fh^^  Lamb  which  is 
21 


242  MEMOIR     OF     A.     1, .     NEWTON. 

in  the  midst  of  the  throne'  feeds  you,  and  leaas  you 
\y  the  Hving  fountains  of  water  in  heaven  !  Then 
ft  will  be  indeed  true  that  our  '  warfare  is  Accom- 
plished' as  well  as  that  our  iniquity  is  pardoned. 
And  I  am  sure  you  must  often  look  forward  to  the 
day  when  the  fight  of  faith  shall  be  over,  and  you 
shall  '  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.' 

"  I  have  seemed  so  weaiy  of  the  conflict  of  late," 
she  continues;  "I  am  sure  I  should  have  fanted  had 
I  not  believed  to  see  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  in  that 
land  where  all  is  life,  and  light,  and  glorious  liberty. 
The  humanity  of  Jesus  has  been  very  comforting  to 
think  of;  His  calling  us  '  brethren,'  and  partaking  of 
our  very  nature,  owning  us  as  His  '  children.'  I  have 
done  some  texts  on  His  '  trust'  in  God,  from  Heb.  ii. 
hd  ;  and  it  seems  as  if  it  helped  one  exceedingly  to 
see  how  He  was  upheld  by  the  Spirit  just  as  we  are. 
'  Behold  my  servant,  whom  T  uphold.  I  liave  put  my 
Spirit  upon  Him.' 

■  "  I  met,"  she  proceeds,  "  with  a  new  thought  the 
other  day.  I  found  it  stated  that  the  word  rendered 
'bruise,' in  Gen.  iii.  15,  is  literally, 'to  overwhelm 
with  darkness,  or  with  a  tempest.'  It  is  the  same 
word  that  is  rendered  'darkness'  in  Ps.  cxxxix.  11 ; 
and  it  scarcely  occurs  anywhere  else.  If  that  pro- 
phecy were  a  looking  forward  to  the  darkness  which 
covered  the  earth  at  the  crucifiixtion  of  Jesus  '  for 
three  hours,'  how  wonderfully  it  was  fulfilled,  being 
such  a  compa'i'.tively  light  thing  to  the  'outer  dark- 
ness' into  which  Satan  shall  be  <  ast  for  « ver  and  ever  1 


r  E  c  r  L  I  A  r>    a  f  ;••  i  :.•  i  n  ;:  *  243 

The  one  a  bruising  of  the  lieol,  but  tlie  other  of  the 
head  !  The  2 2d  Psahn  shows  so  very  beautifully  how 
the  darkness  passed  away  from  Jesus — from  His  soul 
as  well  as  from  external  nature.  And  do  you  not 
think  that  the  darkness — the  '  horror  of  great  dark- 
ness'— which  fell  upon  Abraham  before  the  burning 
lamp  passed  between  his  sacrifice,  was  a  striking  pre- 
figuring of  the  horrible  darkness  which  11-11  upon 
Jesus,  ere  His  soul  was  poured  out  unto  death  (He 
being  Himself  the  sacrifice)  ? 

'I  think,  if  one  may  understand  Gen.  iii.  15  in 
this  way,"  she  adds,  "  it  suggests  a  very  precious 
thought  also  for  all  the  members  of  'Abraham's 
seed.'  For  it  tells — does  it  not? — that  our  bruising, 
our  times  of  darkness,  are  but  the  sufferings  of  '  a 
little  while  V  They  shall  pass  away,  and  our  songs  \ 
of  deliverance  shall  mingle  with  those  of  Jesus,  when, 
in  the  midst  of  the  congregation.  He  sings  priiises/ 
unto  God.  Do  you  remember  a  beautiful  sentence 
of  Owen's  on  Heb.  ii.  12 — 'In  the  midst  of  the 
Church  will  I  sing  praises  unto  Thee  ?'  He  says ; 
'  These  words  are  taken  from  Ps.  xxii.  Most  of  the 
Psalm  containeth  the  great  conflict  He  had  with 
His  sufferings,  and  the  displeasure  of  God  against  sin 
declared  therein.  As  He  lands  iipon  the  shore,  from 
that  tempest  wherein  He  was  tossed  in  His  passion, 
He  cries  out,  "  In  the  midst  of  the  Church  will  I  sin^ 
Draises  unto  Thee."  '  " 

Too  real  to  be  imitative,  she  yet  was  drawn  to 
certain  saints  by  a  veiy  peciriiar  affinity.  "Have 
you  seen    th^  Memoirs    of   Hewitson  V   she   TVTites, 


24  t  M  F.  M  0  IR     0  F     A.     ).       XEWTOX. 

Dec.  26.  "I  never  read  ;i  book  wliich  I  enjoyed  or 
entered  into  so  thoroughly.  My  mind  is  full  of  it. 
He  so  longed  for  close  dealing  with  God."  And, 
uttering  lier  own  soul's  longing,  she  adds  :  "  Oh  !  it 
is  indeed  His  own  self  I  pant  after.  Fellowship — 
living,  constant,  intimate  fellowship — with  Him,  is 
the  cry  He  often  hears  from  the  desolate  void  of  my 
unloving  heart.  How  I  do  loathe  the  sin  which 
makes  the  atmosphere  so  misty,  the  clouds  so,  thick 
,  and  dark  !  I  am  now  reading  Deuteronomy,  to  see 
more  of  God's  holiness  and  of  the  necessity  for  not 
sparing  the  darling  lust.  That  is  where  I  sutTersuch 
loss." 

Another  feature  of  her  own  ujaturing  life,  she  de- 
scribes thus:  "Oh  !  I  do  so  intensely  enter  into  what 
you  say  of  the  deeper  exp^'rience  of  I'iper  years  as  so 
much  more  abiding  than  the  brighter  experience  of 
the  babes  of  Christ.  Lambs  frisk  and* play  ;  for  they 
liave  nothing  to  do  but  enjoy  themselves.  But  how 
different  when  they  become  sheep,  and  have  to 
travail  in  birth  and  to  feed  their  young?  Is  it  not  a 
true  picture  of  Christ's  fold  ?  I  could  not  at  all  tell 
you  how  I  have  been  made  to  feel  lately  that  this 
htter  atid  riper  experience  is  coming  upon  me,  and 
the  earlier  and  former  and  more  lightsome  kind 
passing  away.  I  have  so  felt  other  people's  sins,  and 
seemed  so  identified  Avith  my  family,  the  house,  the 
parish,  tlie  congregation  I  I  feel  as  if  I  must  make 
confession  of  all  their  sins  for  them.  I  believe  it  is 
precious  experience  ;  for  it  is  Christ-like,  is  it  not  ?" 
Her  henltli  this  winter  occasioned  her  not  a  little 


SERVICE.  245 

inwaiil  conflict.  "  Oh  !  to  be  more  swallowed  up 
and  absorbed  in  Jesus  !"  she  writes,  Dec.  26  ;  "  then 
I  should  be  more  content  with  His  dealings,  of  what- 
ever kind  they  might  be.  I  do  so  much  feel  the 
truth  of  all  you  say  about  our  personal  and  individual 
dealings  with  God  alone — the  work  hidden  from 
every  eye  but  His,  My  body  often  keeps  down  my 
spirit.  Well  as  I  now  am  to  all  appearance,  I  have 
many  a  weary  day  or  night,  and  frequently  such 
restless  uneasiness,  without  actual  pain,  that  it  is  no 
wonder  to  me  that  the  inner  man  is  often  greatly  bur- 
dened and  oppressed.  But  it  is  all  so  '  well,'  that  I 
cannot  be  thankful  enough." 

Another  year  closes  upon  our  pilgrim,  and  leaves 
her  still  in  the  wilderness.  Labouring  like  one  who 
teels  the  prcciousness  of  the  short  hour,  she  writes, 
Dec.  29  (1851):  "I  esteem  it  such  a  piivilege  to 
minister  to  the  members  of  Christ's  body  militant 
here  on  earth,  especially  as  the  time  shortens.  I  have 
been  so  stiri-ed  up  with  the  state  of  this  large  parish, 
that  I  have  got  a  poor  man  to  go  about  among  the 
poor  in  the  evenings  for  me,  hoping  to  lead  some  at 
least  to  Jesus.  If  you  can  lift  up  one  prayerful 
thought  for  me  and  him  and  Christless  souls  here,  I 
.^hall  be  most  grateful.  His  ear  is  '  not  heavy,'  but 
open  to  our  cry.'  Go  when  we  will  and  where  we 
will,  we  find  Him  ever  listening." 

And  on  Dec.  31,  writing  to  the  Hon.  Mrs.  C , 

she  says  :  "  May  I  send  you  Deut.  i.  30,  31,  for  this 

season  of  the  year.     It  has  struck  me  so  much,  that 

New-year's  day  seems  like  a  time  for  the  Christian 

21* 


246  M  K  M  O  I  K     OF     A  .     L.     NEWTON. 

to  strengthen  himself  for  the  future  by  the  review  of 
all  the  past— of  all  that  took  place  '  in  Egypt,'  and 
'  in  the  wilderness,'  until  '  we  came  into  this  place.' 
What  confidence  we  are  exhorted  to  place  in  God- 
Dread  not !'  (v.  29)." 

"  Our  times  are  in  thy  hand, 

Father,  we  wish  them  there ; 
Our  life,  our  souls,  our  all  we  leave 
Entirely  to  thy  care. 

"  Our  times  are  in  thy  hand, 

Why  should  we  doubt  or  fear? 
A  father's  hand  will  never  cause 
His  child  a  needless  tear. 

"  Our  times  are  in  thy  hand, 
Jesus  the  Crucified  1 
The  hand  our  many  sins  had  pierced 
Is  now  our  guard  and  guide. 

"  Our  times  are  in  thy  hand; 
"VVe  'd  always  trust  in  thee, 
Till  we  have  left  this  weary  land, 
ikiid  all  thy  glory  see." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"How  I  should  like  her  portrait,"  writes  one  of 
Adelaide's  most  intimate  friends,  "  with  her  open 
Bible  in  lior  hands,  as  it  always  used  to  be,  and  all 
the  energies  of  her  penetrating  mind  digging  deep  for 
its  unsearchable  riches — now  bringing  up  a  bit  of  the 
precious  ore  with  such  delight  as  another  bright 
addition  to  her  store,  and  now  surveying  with  increas- 
ing joy  all  she  had  already  got !  No  Memoir  could 
be  in  the  least  faithful  which  did  not  throw  a  strong 
light  upon  the  peculiar  way  in  which  she  lived  upon 
the  Bible.  And  this  resulted,  I  think,  from  that  fea- 
ture in  her  character  which  led  her  to  sift  so  inde- 
f  itigably  every  subject  into  which  she  cared  to  in- 
quire. Grasping  the  whole  plan  of  salvation,  and 
settled  and  established  in  it  immoveably,  she  fixed 
her  eye  steadily  on  God ;  and  to  know  Him  was  all 
her  desire.  On  that  subject  she  was  insatiable — 
ever  exploring  His  word  to  find  Him  out,  ever  track- 
ing His  mind;  and  thence  arose  those  ardent  long- 
ings to  be  wholly  absorbed  in  Him.  The  study  of 
Jesus — His  thoughts  as  pejfect,  man,  His__mind_asl 
G^ — occupied  her  almost  continually;  and  so  richly 
w  ■  s  slio  repaid  in  these  researches,  that  there  were 


248  M  E  M  0  I  a     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

seasons  ulieii  licr  soul  was  so  filled  with  aJoration 
at  the  discoveries  oponod  up  to  lior,  that,  for  a  time, 
they  seemed  to  extinguish  temptation  and  leave  her 
free  to  delight  herself  in  God. 

"Then,  again,"  continues  her  friend,  "there  was  a 
reverse  side  to  this  picture — when  this  very  study 
would  open  the  floo<l-gates  of  temptation  and  raise 
strong  conflicts  within.  She  could  not  bear  to  feel 
she  had  any  thought  which  did  not  seem  to  harmon- 
ize perfectly  with  the  mind  of  Him  she  woivhipped. 
She  was  not  satisfied  to  assent,  to  believi;,  and  to 
leave  deep  matters ;  she  felt  assured  it  was  11  .e  privi- 
lege of  the  child  of  God  to  enter  into  full,  unrestrict- 
ed, entire  conformity  of  thought,  wish,  will,  and  pur- 
pose to  the  Di^'^ne  mind — and  tliis  through  union 
with  Christ  and  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit.  She 
seemed  so  well  to  know  when  lie  was  taking  of  the 
things  of  Jesus  and  showing  them  to  her,  or  when  her 
own  mind  was  at  work.  Her  spirit  could  find  no  rest 
when  she  found  herself  in  a  siatc  only  to  acquiesce  in 
any  word  of  God  :  she  wanted  to  go  along  with  it ; 
and,  if  the  hindrance  to  her  doing  so  arose  from  im- 
perfectly understanding  it,  she  ceased  not  to  ask,  to 
knock,  to  seek  !  Oh  !  how  diligently  did  she  spread 
her  sails,  how  patiently  did  she  wait  for  the  precious 
gales  of  the  Spirit,  to  carry  her  into  that  presence, 
without  which  existence  was  really  a  burden  to  her ! 

"  You  can  understand,  then,  I  am  sure,"  her  IVieiid 
adds,  "how  tliis  world — this  lite,  in  the  cun)mon  ac- 
ceptation of  the  word,  was  nothing  to  her.  Nor  was 
it  any  tcnptation.     Il'-r's  was  if  I  'iiay  so  cxpresH 


DIART.  249 

myself,  altogether  a  spiiitual  warfare  ;  and  she  found 
hardly  any  one  who  could  understand  her.  The 
conversation  of  Christians  generally  was  a  positive 
trial  to  her.  She  used  to  say  to  me, '  While  they  are 
talking  around  me,  I  am  occupied  with  singing  and 
making  melody  to  the  Lord  in  my  heart.  I  can  talk 
to  Him,  and  I  can  hear  His  "  still,  small  voice." ' 
But,  equally,  when  she  did  meet  with  those  whose 
sympathies  were  in  unison  with  hers,  her  commu- 
nion with  them  was  of  the  purest,  most  elevated  de- 
scription, and  her  enjoyment  of  the  highest  degree. 
Her  method  of  searching  the  Scriptures  will  be  seen 
in  her  papers,  and  will  show  how  she  loved  to  har- 
monize all  the  plans  of  God  and  bring  out  their  wis- 
dom, beauty,  and  glory,  as  a  faint  reflection  of  Him- 
self. This  appears  to  me  to  have  been  the  leading 
turn  of  her  mind." 

The  writer  of  these  lines  (the  Hon.  Mrs.  C ) 

Avas  one  of  the  very  few  by  whom  dear  Adelaide  felt 

that  she  was  understood.     "  Mrs  C is  my  prime 

friend,"  she  writes ;  "  I  could  not  tell  how  I  deligld 
in  her.     I  have  spent  nearly  three  weeks  with  her  at 

I) both  the  two  last  summers.     She  is  such  a 

P)ible-Christian  !  We  used  to  talk  about  it  for  hours 
together." 

In  her  brief  Diary  the  year  opens  thus  :  "Jan., 
185'2. — 'The  poor  committeth  himself  unto  thee.' 
(Ps.  X.  14.)  What  better  can  I  do  with  myself  this 
year  ?  '  I  am  poor  and  needy^  Mv  whole  self  I 
would  commit  into  my  Father's  hands,  whether  for 
life  or  death.     His  promise  is, '  The  expectation  of  the 


250  MEMOIK     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

poor  shall  not  perish  for  ever.'  (Ps.  ix.  18 ;  Isa.  xlix. 
23  ;  Ps.  Ixii.  45.)" 

And  again  :  "-Jan.  1. — 'Who,  then,  is  willing  to 
consecrate  his  sei-vice  this  day  unto  the  Lord  ?'  (l 
Chron.  xxix.  5.)  And  1  Chron.  xxix.  17  :  '  Is  it  not 
my  '•  Beloved"  who  speaks  ?  has  He  not  seen  a  will- 
ing oftering  in  His  servant?'  Jan.  4,  Sah. — 'Thou 
hast  avouched  the  Lord  this  day  to  be  thy  God.' 
(Deut.  xxvi.  17.)  I  have,  at  His  table — owning  my- 
self His,  and  that  He  is  mine,  before  a  great  congre- 
gation on  earth,  and  before  angels — good  and  bad — 
and  before  the  Triune  Jehovah.  Jan.  19. — The  open- 
ing day  of  the  school  at  Mickleover.  Oh,  that  it 
may  be  the  letting  down  of  the  net  to  catch  a  multi- 
tude of  fishes !" 

And,  later:  ''■Feb.  1. — Again  fed  at  the  Lord's 
Table,  remembering  Him  who  is  still  absent.     Feb. 

8. — Heard  Mr. on  Gen.  i.  2.    Alas  !  the  waters 

of  baptism  spoilt  it  all  to  me  !  March  15. — Vestry 
meeting  from  St.  Alkmund's  Schools ;  we  each  sent 
£50.     May  Jesus  own  and  bless  it !     A-pril  3. — Saw 

dear  Maria  W .      She  spoke  of  Jesus  and  the 

Father  making  their  abode  with  us,  and  told  me  Dr. 
M'Neile's  sermon  was  a  blessing  to  many  Christians. 
'  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul !'    April  9,  Good  Friday. 

— Heard  Mr.  on  John  xix.  30.     A  precious 

service.  Did  not  Jesus  rejoice  to  be  so  remembered 
on  earth  ?" 

Tlicse  jottings  indicate  not  uncertainly  dear  Ade- 
laide's daily  life.  "  She  fixed  her  eye,"  as  her  friend 
so  truly  says,  "  steadily  nn  Gon  ;  and   to  know  Him 


I,     FK     A     lil'SINESa.  251 

was  all  her  desire."  Rarely  has  any  one  more 
"ardently  longed  to  be  wholly  absorbed  in  Him." 
But  it  was  not  a  mystic  pietism.  Her  life,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  one  unceasing  "living  sacrifice." 
Poor  Herbert  ouce  sighed — 

"  Oh  I  that  I  were  an  orange-tree, 

That  busy  plant  1 
Then  should  I  ever  laden  be, 

And  never  want 
Some  fruit  for  nini  that  dressed  me." 

Adelaide  Newton  did  more  than  sigh.  Life  was  with 
her  a  business — a  business  for  God. 

Her  "  strength"  in  doing  and  in  suffering  was 
"  the  joy  of  the  Lord."  Gaziug  not  on  the  sun  as 
reflected  in  the  ever-varying  waters,  but  on  the  sun 
in  His  steady  march  in  the  heavens — not  on  God  as 
seen  in  the  fitful  surface  of  her  own  feelings,  but  on 
God  as  seen  in  the  unchanging  expanse  of  His  Word 
— she  learned  to  rejoice  in  Him  continually,  even 
amidst  unceasing  trials.  ''  Did  you  not  feel,"  she 
writes,  for  example,  on  Jan.  9  (1852),  "  as  you  looked 
at  those  texts,  how  much  the  past  year's  experience 
had  deepened  your  interest  in  all  that  God  is  to 
vou  ?  I  seemed  to  feel  it  so  much,  as  I  was  doing 
them — above  all  His  long-suffering,  and  constancy, 
and  unwavering  loving-kindness.  How  truly  in  Him 
(here    is  '  no  variableness,  neither   shadow   of  turn- 

Alluding  one  day  to  the  words,  "Prepared  as  ^ 
biido  adorned  for  lier  husband,"  she  said,  "  Yes,  it  is 


i-'Oj  XI  K  M  O  I  K     OK     A  .      L .     N  E  W  T  O  N . 

that  '  preparation'  which  is  now  detaining  us  down 
here  ;  for  no  hammer  can  be  heard  in  '  the  city' — the 
preparing  is  done  now," 

And  another  day,  following  out  the  same  thought, 
she  said  :  "  I  have  been  so  struck  with  the  Greek 
word  in  James  v.  11,  which  we  render  '  patience.' 
It  is  literally  '  to  remain  under.'  Does  it  not  give 
the  exact  idea  of  prolonged  suffering?  IIow  much 
we  have  to  lemain  under — have  we  not  ?  Such  a 
load  of  daily  crosses  and  trials  from  which  there  is 
no  escaping !  It  often  comforts  me  to  think  what  it 
is  preparing  us  for.  Do  you  not  think  our  work  as 
well  as  our  places  in  heaven  will  depend  very  much 
upon  what  we  have  been  here  educated  and  trained 
to  do?  Every  day  I  think  I  connect  earth  and 
heaven  more  and  more  together,  each  event  here 
being  linked  in  with  our  happiness  there." 

Her  own  "  preparation"  hastened  forward.  "  The 
last  few  months,"  we  find  her  writing  at  this  period, 
"  have  made  the  greatest  diflFerence  in  me — I  feel 
more  than  so  many  years  older.  I  feel  this  so  much, 
that  I  have  sometimes  wondered  whether  I  was 
living  my  life  in  a  small  compass ;  but  it  may  not 
be  BO,  and  I  am  content  to  leave  it." 

And  again  :  "  IIow  little  we  know,  when  we  begin 
to  use  the  little  talent  or  power  wo  think  we  iiave, 
what  use  God  intends  to  make  of  it!  I  often  tliink 
what  wonders  will  be  revealed  in  the  day  when  all 
the  links  in  the  chain  become  visible." 

Adelaide  "overcame,"  not  by  going  out  of  the 
world,  but  by  witnessing  for  Christ  in  if.     "1  felt 


THK     HOLY     UOVK.  263 

sure  you  would  have  to  go  to to  dinner,"  she 

vvrites ;  ■'  aad  I  can  well  understand  your  preferring 
to  be  alone  with  Jesus ;  but  His  '  go  to  my  brethren, 
is  a  Avord  of  command  which  must  often  send  us 
as  well  as  Mary,  in  a  sense,  away  from  Him — must 
it  not  ?  But  soon  He  will  have  us  where  He  is  for 
ever." 

Sending  to  a  friend  a  new  tract,  she  writes  :  "You 
see  my  pen  cannot  be  still.  I  do  hope  this  word 
may  lead  some  Christless  souls  to  get  ready,  ere  the 
day  shall  banish  them  with  all  their  works  of  dark- 
ness into  the  gloom  of  eternal  night." 

And  she  adds :  "  I  send  you  the  report  of  the 
Hospital.  I  have  some  hope  of  getting  some  good 
ladies  about  here  to  contribute.     1  don't  like  Mrs. 

's  way  of  writing ;  how  can  she  call  it  '  the  dear 

nosj>ital  V  My  Bible  is  very  precious  to  me  just 
now.  I  have  not  seen  Trench's  book  ;  but  I  am  sure 
I  should  like  it.  I  am  more  rivetted  by  xoords  in 
Scripture  every  day." 

Krunimacher  somewhere  says,  that  if  there  be  a 
spirit  within  us  which  can  be  at  ease  in  the  midst  of 
defilement  and  can  bear  sin,  we  may  be  sure  that 
that  spirit  is  not  the  holy  Dove.  A  dove  has  been 
known  to  flutter  and  tremble  at  the  very  sight  of  a 
hawk's  or  of  a  falcon's  feather.  "  Nothing  strikes 
me  more,"  Adelaide  writes  (Jan.  12,  1852),  "as  year 
after  year  rolls  on,  than  the  wondrous  forbearance 
of  such  a  God  of  holiness  with  such  a  world  of  sin. 
Oh  !  how  intensely  of  late  I  have  groaned  under  this 
world's  sin  and  ungodliness!     Words  could  not  tell 

•>.7 


'2o4  MEMO  in     OK     A.      I,.     NEWTON. 

It."  And  again :  "  I  bave  another  tract  which  1 
think  of  printing  ere  long,  on  the  '  Purging  of  the 
Floor.'  (Matt.  iii.  13.)  What  a  prospect  that  is  to 
look  onward  to— '  He  will  thoroughly  purge  His 
floor!'  I  cannot  tell  how  deeply  I  have  entered 
lately  into  passages  which  show  how  the  earth  will 
be  cleared  of  all  its  abominations  when  Jesus  comes 
— swept  with  the  besom  of  destruction." 

Growing  in  sympathy  with  Him  who  wept  over 
sinners,  she  writes :  "  My  heart  is  often  so  heavy 
that  the  wheels  drag  slowly  over  the  ground.  I 
seem  quite  unable  to  forget  the  unpardoned  sin  wliich 
is  sinldng  so  many  into  hell,  and  the  unconfessed  sin 
which  keeps  so  many  believers  at  such  a  distance 
from  peace  and  joy  in  Jesus," 

And  sympathizing  also  with  Jesus  in  His  joyful 
anticipation  of  the  coming  "  rest,"  she  writes,  some 
days  later,  thus  :  "Yesterday  I  did  so  enjoy  Heb.  iv. 
— the  '  rests'  of  God  and  of  His  people.  What  a 
sweet  subject  for  a  Sabbath  down  here — a  pledge 
and  foretaste  of  the  Sabbath  which  '  remains  !'  I  am 
sure  Owen's  explanation  of  the  '  rest'  stops  far  short 
of  the  truth,  because  he  sees  in  it  nothing  beyond 
the  Gospel-rest  for  Christians.  I  have  been  reading 
a  good  deal  of  Horsley  lately,  and  was  so  struck 
with  one  passage,  where  the  Hebrew  word  for  '  rest' 
occurs  in  2  Sam.  xxiii.  7.  Our  translations  says, 
'  They  shall  be  utteily  burned  with  fire  in  the  same 
place;'  but  he  says  it  should  be  'In  the  Sabbath  (the 
'  rest )  they  shall  be  utterly  burned  with  fire' — refer- 
ring no*  to  the  end  of  that  which  is  burned,  but  to 


THE     TWO     RESTS,  265 

the  end  of  all  things,  when  they  shall  be  utterly  con- 
sumed out  of  the  earth." 

And  in  another  letter  she  says :  "  Did  you  ever 
notice  how  beautiful  the  meanings  of  the  two  He- 
brew words  are  for  '  rest'  quoted  by  St.  Paul  in  Heb. 
iii.  and  iv.  ?  The  one  in  the  ninety-fifth  Psalm  is 
'  Noah,'  which  Parkhurst  defines  as  rest  from  toil  and 
weariness — as  the  ark  rested  on  Ararat  after  its  toss- 
ings  to  and  fro  on  the  waters,  or  as  the  land  had 
'  rest  from  war'  in  the  days  of  Joshua.  The  other 
word,  quoted  from  Gen.  ii.  2,  is  '  Sabbath,'  literary 
cessation — i.e.,  rest  (not  from  labour,  but)  because 
the  work  is  finished.  God  rested,  or  ceased,  because 
all  was  (lone.  Does  not  this  give  an  exquisite  view 
of  rest  ?  The  two  together  seem  to  me  to  present 
such  a  pert'ect  prospect  for  faith  to  rest  itself  upon. 
We  shall  have  rest  in  the  desired  haven  from  all  the 
toil  of  life  ;  and  we  shall  enter  into  God's  own 
rest,  when  He  shall  have  made  all  things  new  ;  and 
nothing  will  remain  to  be  done  to  break  His  Sabbath 
of  rest  to  all  eternity.  This  latter  kind  of  rest  does 
seem  so  inexpressibly  perfect — the  whole  creation 
sharing  in  it,  as  it  did  on  the  first  Sabbath-day  in 
B^en,  and  Jesus  bringing  into  it  all  the  blessings 
of  His  Sabbatli-flay  (if  I  may  so  express  it)  when 
nil  His  n(*n-  creation  work  was  ended,  and  a  Triune 
God  finding  perfect  and  eternal  satisfaction  in  that 
keepinix  of  a  Sabbath  which  remaineth  to  us  His 
people." 

The  ••  man  in  the  picture"  had  his  eyes  lifted  up 
to  heaven.     "After  sufl'ering  dreadfully  for  a  while 


L'50  M  E  M  O  I  H      OP     A  .      L .      N  K  W  T  O  N  . 

by  resii'aint  in  prayer,"  Adelaide  writes,  Jan.  24 
(1852),  "for  many  weeks  the  constraint  upon  me 
has  been  to  pray ;  and  much  time  has  been  spent  in 
the  attemj)t.  As  to  tlie  expression  of  prayer,  it  has 
been  a  mere  nothing ;  but  I  have  found  the  greatest 
strength  in  those  words,  '  He  that  searcheth  the 
heart,  knoweth  what  is  the  7nind  of  the  Spirit,' 
wliich,  I  suppose,  refers  to  the  groanings  which 
could  find  no  vent  in  utterance  or  outward  expres- 
sion. If  so,  are  not  these  inward  '  groanings'  (for 
no  other  word  half  expresses  it)  the  very  things  which 
the  Spirit  is  working  in  us,  and  which,  after  all,  con- 
stitute the  truest  pi-ayor  ?  The  grand  point  where  I 
fall  short  is,  that  I  go  away  so  often  without  any 
consciousness  of  getting  what  I  ask  for.  Hewitson 
said  he  never  went  to  bed  without  knowing  with 
'  absolute  confidence'  that  his  sins  were  forgiven, 
because  he  believed  in  God's  truthfulness  when  He 
said,  '  If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  fiiithful  and  just 
to  forgive  us  our  sins.'  " 

And,  somewhat  later,  she  writes  :  "  It  is  remark- 
able, that,  since  I  wrote  to  you,  two  very  dear  friends 
have  been  dreadfully  tried  of  late,  in  not  being  able 
to  express  anything  in  prayer.  This  restraint  is 
very  painful  in  one  way  ;  but,  do  you  know,  just 
very  lately  I  have  seemed  to  feel  as  if  my  groanings 
spoke  more  than  my  words.  Words  are  not  needed 
to  God.  He  reads  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  in  us ; — 
how  much  that  means !  I  only  want  to  be  filled 
with  desires,  and  they  shall  be  fulfilled.  I  have 
bo(.'n  thiidving  how  every  wish  of  our  renewed  hearts 


M  A  T  U  R  I  N'  G     H  K  A  V  E  N'  I.  I  N  K  S  S  .  257 

is  summed  up  in  those  words,  '  Thy  will  be  done  1' 
What  is  not  included  of  good  in  our  Fntlier's  will  ?" 

And  again  :  "  Do  you  enter  nmcli  into  prophetic 
study?  You  will  see  what  a  sweetly  refreshing  and 
sustaining  subject  it  was  to  Hewiston.  It  is  so  much 
more  the  thought  of  seeing  Jesus,  than  of  any  of  the 
accompanying  circumstances,  which  I  love  to  think 
of,  that  I  value  my  tract  as  likely,  I  hope,  to  call  at- 
tention to  the  subject.  I  know  it  is  '  the  living 
Person,'  as  Hewiston  so  often  says,  that  we  need  to 
come  in  contact  with,  if  we  are  to  be  lively  Chris- 
tians. Don't  you  often  pant  for  better  fellowship  with 
Him  ?" 

A  lesson  of  her  matunng  lieavenliness  she  notes 
gi-aphicallv  thus:  "Deuteronomy  strikes  me  most  as 
the  book  which  instructs  the  true  Israel  of  God  as  to 
their  condition  '  in  the  land.'  I  take  it  to  be  a  stage 
beyond  the  wilderness — beyond  even  the  conquests 
of  the  book  of  Joshua.  It  is  not  the  first  taking  pos- 
session, so  much  as  the  unfiinching  yielding  up  of 
the  whole  heart  and  life  to  God  in  after-experience. 

It  does  so  condenm  me,  dearest ,  from  page  to 

page,  that  I  almost  shrink  from  saying  what  I  seem 
to  see  in  it :  nought  of  the  '  cursed  thing  cleaving' 
to  one's  hand — the  cities  of  the  enemy  burnt  to  the 
ground,  and  all  the  spoil,  every  whit — the  diligent, 
careful  hearkening  to  God's  words,  and  the  holy 
obedience  and  truthfulness  required — and  then,  too, 
the  rejoicing  even  before  the  Lord,  and  the  intense 
holiness  which  the  whole  atmosphere  of  the  entire 
book  seems  to  breathe.  Altogether  it  makes  one 
•2->* 


Li  5  8  M  E  il  U  1  R     u  :      A  .     I. .     N  E  w  r  O  N  . 

breathless,  if  you  understand  me,  to  be  in  so  pure  an 
air.  I  think  it  is  not  studied  by  Christiaus  as  it  de- 
serves. We  should  be  saved  out  of  such  mixture 
wth  the  unholy  and  luiclean,  if  we  saw  our  true 
standing  '  in  the  land.' " 

And,  wi'iting  to  one  "  very  near  the  entrance  into 
glory,"  she  says :  "  How  beautiful  Deut.  i.  25  is — 
the  spies  going  into  the  land,  and  bnnging  some  of 
its  fruits,  to  show  to  others  what  a  good  land  it  is ! 
May  not  this  he  great  reason  why  you  have  been  de- 
tained so  long  in  the  body,  that,  having  spied  much 
of  its  fruitlessness,  you  miglit  tell  of  it  to  me  and  to 
many,  many  others  ?"  And  again  :  "  Don't  you 
think  the  '  garment  of  praise'  is  a  very  essential  part 
of  a  Christian's  clothing,  and  becomes  so  more  and 
more  as  he  draws  nearer  to  the  society  of  thoso  who 
stand  aromid  the  throne  with  harps  of  gold  and  cease 
from  anything  but  praise  ? 

"  'Then  we  shall  sing  more  sweet,  more  loud; 
And  Christ  shall  be  the  song.'  " 

And  to  the  same,  some  wrecks  later :  "  I  scarcely 
imagine  you  look  much  at  the  waves  of  trouble  now. 
Are  you  not  occupixid  with  Ilini  most,  who  walks 
upon  them  and  whispers  in  your  ear,  '  It  is  I  ?'  I 
feel,  more  and  more,  that  it  is  in  proportion  as  we 
come  personally  and  individually  into  contact  with 
the  living  person  of  Jesus,  that  the  work  in  the  inner 
man  grows  in  depth  and  in  reality.  I  often  think  of 
you  as  just  on  the  borders  of  the  heav(!nly  Canaan, 


TOILING.  259 

receiviufy  tlie  finishing  strokes  of  the  great  Architect's 
hammer." 

A  similar  experience  she  indicates  in  another  let- 
ter, thus :  "  I  have  been  struck  to-day  with  Mark  vi. 
48 — Jesus  looking  ou  whilst  Kis  disciples  were  'toil- 
ing in  rowing'  on  the  sea,  and  He  Himself  was  on 
the  land ;  and,  though  He  saw  them,  yet  He  went 
not  to  them  until  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night. 
And  even  then  He  would  have  passed  by  them. 
Don't  you  think  we  may  gather  from  incidental  re-> 
marks  of  this  kind  how  much  less  our  mere  enjoy-  i 
ment  or  reUef  from  trouble  is  His  object  than  it  is  / 
ours  ?  His  thoughts  are  so  very  much  higher  than 
ours  in  all  these  ways;  He  seems  so  often  to  be  re- 
presented as  looking  on  while  His  people  are  suffer- 
ing, yet  not  bringing  relief  for  some  time,  like  Israel 
in  Egypt — 'I  have  seen,  I  have  seen.'  It  has  oc- 
curred to  me  lately  that  these  words  could  almost 
convey  the  impression  that  his  own  heart  of  love  had 
been  wrung  with  anguish  with  what  He  had  seen  (if 
one  may  speak  of  Him  in  language  so  human),  as 
if  He  could  not  speak  strongly  enough  of  what  He 
had  seen.  And  yet  how  long  it  was,  after  that,  ere 
they  were  finally  rescued  !  It  often  wants  David's 
kind  of  waiting  in  'wailing,'  does  it. not?  (Ps.  xl.  1, 
margin.)  But  they  who  wait  on  Him  shall  not  be 
ashamed. 

Some  interesting  touches  of  character  come  out 
indirectly  in  a  letter  to  another  friend,  dated  Jan. 
26  :  "I  own  I  should  be  glad  if  the  — —  could 
leave ;    it    is  evi('enlly  so    utterly  unsuited  to 


260  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 


What  a  very  singular  experience  theirs  has 


been  in  the  Cliristian  life !     I  felt  greatly  interested 

and  truly  sorry  for  Mrs. ;  for  her  wliole  tone  of 

mind  seemed  to  me  so  unhealthy.  I  think  both 
sisters  want  Christian    society  to  call  them  out  of 

themselves;  and    that   they  cannot   have   at  . 

They  want  spiritual  vigour  and  spiritual  strength ; 
but  there  is  much  to  love  in  them,  and  they  were 
most  kind  to  me." 

"  I  have  heard  no  more  of  Mr. ,"  she  adds ; 

"  but  I  am  sorry  if  I  slandered  him.  He  is  one  of 
the  Lord's  chosen  vessels ;  and  I  would  not  be 
guilty  of  breaking  oft'  even  a  little  bit  of  the  orna- 
mental chiselling,  by  throwing  even  a  small  stone  at 
him.  I  need  not  throw  stones  at  others.  Enough — 
oh,  how  much  more  than  enough  ! — for  m^,  if  I 
look  at  the  beam  in  my  own  eye.  And  how  it  Ijlinds 
and  distorts  my  powers  of  seeing  others  aright !  One 
thing  I  do  hope  my  heavenly  Father  is  teaching  me, 
and  that  is,  to  loathe  and  abhor  myself.  I  would  sink 
deeper  and  deeper  still,  that  Christ  may  get  all  the 
glory  of  what  His  grace  does  in  and  by  me,  and  that 
'  yet  not  I'  may  ever  be  my  motto.  I  have  been  more 
and  more  delighted  with  '  Hewitson' each  time  I  have 
read  it — and  I  have  gone  through  it  three  times,  and 
read  the  greater  part  four  times.  Oh,  how  closely  he 
walked  with  God  !  His  mind  so  exactly  suits  mine; 
it  is  more  interesting  to  me  than  even  M'Cheyue's 
Memoir.  I  grieve  to  hear  of  your  illness,  though  I 
am  sure  it  is  a  token  of  your  being  led  more  alone 
with  Jesus.     I  cannot  give  vou  the  least  idea  how  I 


JOY     U  N  S  P  E  A  K  A  U  L  K  .  261 

have  been  dragged  out  of  iny  li.ippy  'solitude  of 
experience,'  as  I  called  it  long  ago,  not  so  much  by 
going  amongst  strangers  again,  as  by  being  made 
to  feel  identilied  with  those  around  me,  and  with 
*tho  Church  (which  is  His  body).'  Do  you  kuow 
much  of  confessing  sin  for  others  ?  It  has  been  my 
constant  occupation  lately.  Oh,  how  sin  does  afflict 
me !  I  need  only  hear  of  it  or  see  it,  and  my  own 
spirit  is  wounded  and  darkened." 

Some  other  features  are  given  elsewhere.  For 
example,  on  February  4,  she  writes :  "  Your  kind 
note  did  me  great  good,  because  it  was  so  full  of 
Jesus.  I  am  so  thankful  you  are  so  happy  in  Him. 
Surely  you  need  not  fear  to  indulge  in  enjoying 
Him  with  joy  unspeakable.  He  is  leading  you  into 
green  pastures,  and  making  you  to  lie  down  beside 
the  still  waters  ;  and  he  means  it  to  be  a  sweet  time 
of  refreshment,  does  He  not  ?  I  suspect  we  should 
enjoy  those  opportunities  while  they  last;  for  we  are 
soon  enough  called  back  into  scenes  of  conflict." 

And  to  Mis.  C W :  "  I  value  all  your 

experience  so  much,  Avhen  you  review  your  long 
life  and  tell  me  liow  you  feel  now.  It  is  deeply, 
deeply  humblitig  to  look  back  on  what  we  have 
sought  to  do  to  Him  ;  it  is,  as  you  say,  so  spoilt 
with  sin,  even  in  our  holiest  things.  I  have  deeply 
felt  it  l.'.tely ;  and  I  suppose  it  must  be  my  expe- 
rience, more  and  more,  as  I  go  onward.  Dear  Mr. 
Evans!  how  he  felt  it!  But  he  had  naturally  one 
of  those  very  poweiful  minds  which  feel  everything 
in  an  intense  wnv.     It  makes  the  '  Memoir'  exceed- 


262  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

ingly  precious  to  me.  His  deep  views  of  sin,  and 
his  proportionally  deep  appreciation  of  the  efficiency 
of  the  blood  of  Jesus  to  wash  it  away,  give  suoh 
fulness  of  meaning  to  his  words.  I  am  so  glad  you 
have  got 'Hewitson ;'  it  has  been  a  precious  book 
indeed  to  me.  He  walked  in  the  secret  of  the  Lord's 
presence,  under  the  eye  of  the  same  holy  God  as 
Evans  did ;  and  his  faith  was  so  very  simple  that 
he  did  not  linger  about  the  threshold,  but  entered 
into  Jesus  (as  he  expressed  it)  and  lived  upon  His 
breath !" 

"  I  cannot  tell  you,"  she  continues,  "  how  much 

and  often   I  think  of  you,  dearest  Mrs.  W ,  in 

that  foieigii,  distant  bind.     But 

"  'What  are  distance,  time,  and  place, 
To  the  God  that  fills  all  space?' 

I  am  most  thankful,  if  you  are  suffering  less  bodily 
and  enjoying  much  of  the  felt  presence  of  Jesus.  I 
love  to  b;'lieve  that  He  has  accepted  all  the  unripe 
fifuit  of  earlier  days,  and  now  looks  to  the  '  fruits  of 
the  valley'  in  His  ripening  children.  I  often  wish 
that  advanced  believers  were  less  cast  down  by  their 
views  of  what  they  are  ;  but  I  suppose  this  is  a  part 
of  those  fruits  which  belong  to  '  the  valley,'  which  I 
am  still  too  youHcr  and  too  unripe  to  yield  to  the 
Lord.  May  He  find  in  His  gardens  fruit  which  is 
sweet  to  His  taste,  whether  we  admire  it  or  not." 

Her  health  this  winter  continued  stationary.  "I 
am  kceiiing  up  very  wonderfully,"  she  says.  "I 
don't  suppose  people  can  see  anv  differonre  in  me ; 


OUTWARD     CIRCUMSTANCES.  26S 

but  I  keep  up  outwardly  at  great  cost  sometimes 
However,  the  trials  I  have  I  cannot  ask  to  be  with- 
out ;  for  it  is  through  them  the  gold  is  purified  from 
its  dross." 

Her  friend  has  remarked,  in  the  paragraphs  quoted 
in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  that  "  she  seemed  to 
know  so  well  when  the  Spirit  was  taking  of  the 
things  of  Christ  and  showing  them  to  her,  and  when 
her  own  mind  only  was  at  work."     An  illustration 

occurs  in  a  letter  to  the  Hon.  Mrs.  C ,  Feb.  2 : 

"I  am  so  glad  you  have  enjoyed  part  of  Heb.  ii.;  it 
was  very  sweet  to  myself  in  doing  it,  for  it  seemed  to 
be  (/iven  me — and  you  know  what  that  is.  I  tliink  I 
am  now  getting  into  the  third  chapter  a  Httle ;  but 
it  often  seems  to  me  as  if  God  kept  me  waiting  now, 
until  He  has  made  me  feel  entirely  without  one 
thought,  before  He  begins  to  teach  me.  It  is  ex- 
ceedingly humbling  to  feel  that  I  have  made  this  ne- 
cessary." 

And  she  adds :  "  How  very,  very  different  Chris- 
tian experience  is,  when  acted  upou  by  different  out- 
ward circumstances  !  It  seems  to  me  impossible  that 
one's  friends  should  be  able  to  know  and  make  allow- 
ance for  these  changes  :  and  that  makes  the  omni- 
science of  God  so  unutterably  precious ;  for  He  can 
— and  one  can  go  to  Him  with  such  confidence  in 
this  knowledge  far  exceeding  even  our  own  !  He 
knows  the  mind  of  His  Spirit  in  us,  when  all  seems 
to  us  in  a  maze." 

In  the  same  letter  another  thought  occurs,  which 
throws  not  a  little  light  upon  her  own  intense  friend- 


264  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

ships.  Alluding  to  Mr.  Evans,  she  says  :  ''  I  scarcely 
think  his  letters  equal  his  sermons  ;  but  (liey  reveal 
to  me  much  of  the  secret  of  his  being  so  useful  and 
so  beloved — at  least,  /trace  much  of  it  to  his  intense 
way  of  entering  into  the  specific  circumstances  of  his 
friends.  He  does  not  deal  in  general,  commonplace 
remarks,  but  enters  with  minuteness  and  touching 
sympathy  into  each  person's  peculiar  state  of  mind 
or  body.  And  don't  you  think  this  tells  powerfully 
on  a  man's  ministry,  as  well  as  in  more  private  life? 
It  is  a  faint  reflection  of  that  individual  contact  with 
God  in  each  and  every  circumstance  of  life,  which 
makes  the  reality  of  religion  so  piecious.  I  think 
the  only  person  I  ever  knew  carry  it  out  as  Evans 

seems  to  me  to  do,  is  Dr. .     He  never  lets  you 

feci  that  he  is  inditierent  about  you.  I  marvelled 
once  at  his  sympathy  with  a  weak-minded  friend  of 
ours  at  Torquay,  who  fretted  about  the  death  of  a  pet 
bird  till  every  one  else  laughed  at  her.  And  Jesus 
condescends  to  symj-withize  in  all  our  tiny  daily  vex- 
ations, as  well  as  in  our  great  troubles.  O  !  for  a 
heart  of  love  like  His !" 

Each  saint  in  glory,  as  he  remembers  all  the  ways 
of  the  Lord  towards  him,  shall  exclaim,  in  adoring 
thankfulness,  "  Thy  gentleness  hath  made  me  great !" 
Dear  Adelaide  keenly  felt  the  so-frequent  lack  of  this 
Christ-like  gentleness.  "  He  preached  a  sermon  on 
Sunday  morning,"  she  says,  alluding  to  a  preacher 
whom  she  had  heard,  "  on  '  How  long  halt  ye  ?'  It 
was  very  powerful — I  might  say  overpowering,  tor  I 
ooulil  scarcelv  boar  it.      Had  it   be<^n  combin«^d  with 


THE    lord's    vineyard.  266 

the  tenderness  and  gentleness  which  such  a  subject 
required,  it  would  have  been  enough  to  break  the 
hearts  of  many :  but  there  was  a  hardness  about  it 
wliich  made  it  very  painful  to  me.  Oh!  how  unHke 
Je^us  we  are  in  our  feelings  towards  hardened  sin- 
ners !" 

Amidst  the  langour  and  fatigue  of  "  many  a  weary 
hour,"  she  still  resolutely  laboured  for  her  Lord. 
"  Don't  think  any  more  of  my  outer  man,"  she  says, 
Feb.  3  (1852) :  "  it  is  intended  to  perish  in  due  time  ; 
and  I  really  try  to  do  my  duty  towards  it  while  it 
lasts.  We  are  but  strangers,  at  best,  down  here ; 
and  often  earth  seems  desolate  to  me,  though  I  have 
so  much  to  be  thankful  for  and  to  make  me  happy. 
My  lime  is  very  fully  occupied  ;  and  that  forbids  the 
indulgence  of  sad  and  gloomy  thoughts.  I  love  to 
think  that  we  are  here  for  a  little  while,  with  pre- 
cious opportunities  of  sowing  seed  which  may  here- 
after add  immensely  to  our  harvest  of  joy  in  glory. 
This  is  often  a  great  motive  with  me,  to  stir  me  up ; 
for  I  foel  that  I  am  losing  not  only  present  comfort, 
but  eternal  enjoyment,  when  I  trifle  or  sin  away  my 
time.  You  have  two  precious  little  souls  to  train  for 
eteraity,  which  must  occupy  most  of  your  time.  I 
have  only  to  work  in  other  ways  as  best  I  can  ;  but 
I  never  fiud  lack  of  work  to  be  done  in  the  Lord's 
vineyard." 

23 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Tersteegen  describes,  as  "  a  real  stratagem  in  the 
inward  conflict,"  the  "  occupation  of  the  heart  with 
God."  It  is  like  a  child  (he  says)  which,  at  the 
sight  of  a  dog,  flees  to  its  niotlier,  and,  instead  of 
fighting  with  hiui,  hides  itself  with  confidence  in  her 
lap 

Dear  Adelaide  was  daily  learning  this  "  stratagem." 
More  and  more  intensely  her  soul  went  out  upon 
God.  "I  do  so  love,"  we  find  her  wnting,  Feb.  15 
(1852),  "  to  think  of  each  day's  events  as  just  the 
developement  of  His  eternal  plan,  all  coming  to  pass 
in  perfect  order,  perfect  harmony,  and  not  one  thing 
hurried  over  or  out  of  place.  Don't  you  feel  more 
and  more  that  it  is  Jesus  Himself,  His  own  glorious 
Person,  that  is  everything  and  everybody  to  you  ? 
Now  we  truly  see  through  a  glass  darkly ;  yet 
glimpses,  through  the  lattice  of  llim  we  love,  are 
very,  very  precious  on  our  way  Home." 

"  To  think,"  she  adds,  "  liow  soon  we  may  see 
Him — 'see  Him  as  He  is !' and  then  be  like  Him! 
'  One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord,  to  behold  the 
beauty  of  the  Lord.'  His  beauty !  what  a  sight  it 
will  be  then  for  us  to   gaze   upon !  and  what  a  sight 


SOFT     WHISPERS.  267 

it  is  to  faitli  now !  I  am  sotnetinie.s  discouraged 
'  because  of  the  way,'  and  sometimes  because  of 
inward  conflict  and  innate  depravity  ;  but  one  sight 
of  Him,  or  one  sensible, grasp  of  Ilis  hand,  quite 
seems  to  lift  one  up.  Is  not  that  wonderful — 'Tliou 
hast  holden  me  by  Tliy  right  hand  ?'  like  a  friend 
taking  us  by  the  hand,  or  like  a  father  holding  his 
child  by  the  hand  !  '  His  hands  are  as  gold  rings,' 
enclosing  us !" 

And  in  another  letter,  she  says :  "  There  has 
been  something  wrong  about  me  lately  ;  I  have  not 
enjoyed  the  fellowship  I  have  sometimes  done  with 
the  Father  and  the  Son.  I  think  it  must,  have  been 
*  the  lust  of  other  things  entering  in,'  which  has 
choked  up  the  avenue,  as  it  were,  betwixt  my  soul 
and  Jesus,  and  has  hindered  the  soft  whispers  of  His 
Spirit  from  lalling  on  my  ear.  I  am  trying  to  confess 
and  forsake  the  sin,  whatever  it  is,  and  to  return 
unto  my  resting-place  in  the  bosom  of  Jesus." 

It  may  be  imagined  with  what  feelings  one  who 
thus  lived  upon  the  kernel  regarded  the  teaching 
which  exalts  the  shell.  "  Never  can  I  forget  yester- 
day," she  writes,  Feb.  9,   to   Mrs.  C W : 

"You  can  scarcely  conceive  what  I  felt,  in  the  midst 
of  what  would  otherwise  have  been  a  very  good 
sermon  from  Mr.  ,  on  the   Spirit  moving  upon 

the  face  of  the  waters  (Gen.  i.  2),  to  hear  him  come 
out  with  the  waters  of  baptism,  and,  while  he 
strongly  denied  baptismal  regeneration,  yet  to  as 
strongly  affirm  that,  where  there  was  no  conversion, 
there  w<is  still  a  great  benefit  conferred  in  the  doing 


2')8  M  E  M  o  I  :t    or    a  .    i..    n  f.  a  ;  o  ■>•  . 

nwny  of  oriLcin.'il  sin  I  I !  This  lie  also  partly  unr^iid  ; 
hut  I  really  <lon't  know  how,  for  I  felt  so  stunned 
that  I  retreated  behind  a  pillar  in  the  corner  of  the 
pew,  and  only  entreated  tl^^t  the  stream  of  deadly 
poison  might  not  flow  on  through  the  congregation, 
and  that  the  dishonour  done  to  the  blood,  which 
ilone  can  take  away  sin,  might  be  forgiven.  I  don't 
know  what  to  do  ;  it  has  wounded  me  to  the  quick. 
[  feel,  do  you  know,  just  as  if  I  had  been  thrown  into 
;i  dungeon  like  Jeremiah,  surrounded  with  filthiness 
in  this  fallen  world,  from  which  there  is  no  escape 
until  the  word  is  given,  '  Come  up  higher  !'  "  Do 
Christian  men,  whose  trumpet,  in  this  matter,  gives 
so  uncertain  a  sound,  know  how  grievously  they 
wound  some  of  the  lioliest  of  the  saints  ?  It  is  no 
lio-ht  matter  to  "offend  one  of  these  little  ones." 

Knowing  how  "  tender"  are  the  "  grapes"  of  the 
living  Vine,  she  was  ever  on  the  alert  to  "  take  the 
little  foxes"  which  "  spoil  it."  "The  very  fact  of 
doing  His  work,"  she  writes,  "  is  often  a  great  snare. 
I  do  so  intensely  feel  the  need  of  incessant  watchful- 
ness. You  know  my  thoughts  upon  the  ditference 
betwixt  this  and  self-examination;  and  I  cannot  tell 
you  how  experience  deepens  them.  I  would  be 
always  watching :  then  I  should  be  perpetually 
looking,  and  walking  '  in  the  light.'  I  want  to  be 
as  an  empty  vessel,  ever  being  filled  from  above  with 
the  rich  droppings  of  the  showers  of  Gel's  ble^^sings. 
I  suspect  my  great  success  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  has 
tended  to  mak<'  me  ffol  and  act  as  though  there  were 
a  pprinfT  of  living  water   in    iny>e!f,  insternl  of  every 


S  I  N  A  I  T  I  C     I  .V  S  C  It  I  P  T  I  O  N  8 .  209 

drop  being  to  bo  derived  from  the  Fountain  of  living 
waters  above.  Don't  you  understaud  the  sort  of 
thing  I  mean  ?  It  is  to  be  self-emptied,  self-abased. 
— it  is  self-renunciatioa.  and  self-denial  which  my 
soul  now  seems  to  need,  in  order  that  Jesus  may 
reign  there  and  fill  it." 

And,  in  the  same  letter,  she  adds  : — "  You  still 
speak  of  wanting  to  know  more  of  the  liberty  of 
God's  children ;  and'  I  believe  my  danger  has  been 
from  feeling  it  so  strongly  as  to  be  tempted  by  the 
ever-busy  Evil  One  to  abuse  it  by  a  less  careful  walk. 

Oh  !  dearest  L ,  what  a  straight  and  narrow  way 

it  is !  and  j'et  how  inconceivably  rich,  and  free,  and 
complete,  and  satisfying  our  portion  is  '  in  the  Lord  1' 
To  plead  His  blood,  and  have  not  a  single  stain  of 
guilt  imputed  to  us ;  to  plead  His  righteousness,  and 
be  clothed  in  raiment  so  white  and  pure,  that  God's 
eye  admires  our  beauty  ;  to  stanil,  in  fact,  '  complete 
in  Him,'  and  '  accepted  in  the  Beloved ;'  what  can  be 
more  blessed  ?" 

Earnestly  alive  to  whatever  concerned  the  AVord, 
we  find  her  writing  thus:  "Have  you  met  with 
Forster's  work  on  the  '  Sinaitic  Inscriptions'?  How 
intensely  interesting  it  is  !  To  think  of  Israel's  wan- 
derings being  read  upon  the  rocks,  after  the  lapse  of 
60  many  centuries  !  Do  you  not  think  that  it  is  very 
remarkable  that  the  decypherment  should  have  taken 
place  just  wlien  Infidelity  is  growing  so  formidable  ? 
And  liow  veiy  fearful  the  growth  of  Infidelity  is  I 
I  am  sure  the  only  safety,  in  these  days,  is  in  keep- 
ing close  to  the  Word.     I  scarcely  think  a  greater 


27U  M  t  M  U  1  :t      of      A        L .      N  K  \V  T  U  S  . 

work  can  be  done  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  than  in 
leading  people  deeper  into  its  treasures.  The  pure 
gold  makes  the  world's  dross  useless." 

And,  alluding  to  one  of  her  own  Bible-search ings, 
she  writes,  in  another  letter :  "  Have  you  ever  par- 
ticularly studied  the  10th  of  Genesis  ?  It  is  so  inte- 
resting, as  givin  gone  a  key  to  much  of  the  ending 
of  things  in  Revelation.  In  Genesis,  we  have  the 
buds  of  those  blossoms  which  in  Revelation  have 
ripened  into  full,  ripe  fruit.  For  example,  the  mean- 
ing of  the  word  Babylon,  or  Babel — '  confusion,  or 
mixture' — throws  such  meaning  into  Rev.  xvii.  1,  2, 
15-18,  and  xviii.  2,  3.  How  plainly  it  shows  that 
God's  mind  has  read  the  chapter  of  its  history  with 
but  one  opinion,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end*!" 

On  Feb.  20  (1852),  she  writes  to  another,  thus: 
"  I  have  been  able,  of  late,  to  say  very  little  to  any 
one  but  God.  In  that  verse — '  My  soul,  wait  thou 
only  upon  God,  for  my  expectation  is  from  Him' — 
what  remarkable  solitariness  there  is  betwixt  God 
and  the  believer,  is  there  not  ?     May  I  send  you  '  I 

will  be  to  you  a  God'  ?     N read  your  letter  to  a 

very  nice,  poor  man,  who  is  dying,  and  he  seemed 
quite  to  drink  it  in,  saying,  in  the  middle  of  it,  '  Yt  s, 
Jesus  is  very  near — quite  close  to  me.'  It  is,  indeed, 
when  earthly  stays  are  taken  from  us,  that  the  Lord 
becomes,  as  you  say,  everything  to  us.  Will  you 
sometimes  breathe  a  thought  into  the  ear  of  Jesus 
for  me  ?" 

To  a  "beloved  Persis,"  in  humble  life,  who^e  fel- 
lowship was  veiy  pleasant  to  her,  she  writes :  "  Will 


"  I     AM     SICK     OK     1   0  V  E ."  271 

you  get  your  Lall-lioliday  on  Thursday,  and  give  3."^ 
much  as  you  possibly  can  to  me  ?  You  can't  come 
too  early  ;  and,  oh  !  may  Jesus  bring  such  a  blessing 
with  you  as  shall  make  us  both  cry  out — '  Stay  me 
with  flagons,  comfort  me  with  apples,  for  I  am  sick 
of  love  !'  My  text  for  you  is  John  vi.  57.  How  full 
of  life  it  is !  'As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me, 
and  I  live  by  the  (living)  Father,  so  he  that  eateth 
me  (the  living  Bread),  even  he  shall  live  by  me.'  I 
do  so  love  to  think  that  Jesus  is  no  longer  the  cruci- 
fied One, no  longer  buried  in  the  grave  ;  but,  'rather,' 
that  lie  is  risen   again,  exalted,  seated  at  the  right 

hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high.     Dear  M ,  does  it 

not  raise  you  above  the  level  of  earthly  trials,  to  feel 
your  life  hid  in  Him  up  there — '  in  God  ? '  " 

And  to  the  same,  ou  Feb.  25  :  "  Will  you  oblige 
me  by  usiug  the  enclosed  to  give  yourself  fires  in 
your  bedroom  during  this  severe  weather  ?  For  the 
sake  of  your  dear  brother,  do  be  persuaded  to  take 
care  of  your  own  body,  remembering  that  it  is  dear 
to  Jesus,  for  He  has  bought  it  at  no  small  price.  A 
new  house  is  so  dangerous  in  such  weather :  but 
there  is  One  who  cares  for  you,  who  will  doubtless 
take  care  of  you  in  it.     My  wish  for  you  shall  be 

what  dear  Mr.  C asked  for  us  one  winter  at 

Torquay — that  the  rooms  may  be  always  lighted  up 
with  the  sunshine  of  His  presence.     I  can't  tell  you 

how  I  enjoy  seeing  you,  dear  M .     What  will 

heaven  be,  to  have  Jesus  Himself,  and  all  dear  to 
Dim  and  dear  to  us,  to  be  around  us  for  ever !" 

Another  of  her  maturing  experiences  she  indicates. 


272  il  K  M  O  I  K     OK      A  .      1. .      NEWTON. 

March  ;i,  tliii*;  "'Pridv  is  i>c'<juliarly  devilish,  and  it 
is  where  I  think  Satan  gets  great  advantage  over  me. 
But  there  have  been  times,  hitely,  wheu  I  sank  into 
the  most  abject  nothingness  before  God.  No  words 
can  utter  the  feelings  of  inonients  like  these ;  they 
are  K'ssons  which,  as  you  most  truly  say,  one  must 
learn  for  one's  self.  I  do  feel  how  nnich  there  is  to 
learn  :  it  seems  to  be  a  feeling  which  grows  very 
much  on  Christians,  I  tliink ;  one  seems  so  increas- 
ingly to  pant  after  more  intimacy  with  Jesus — and 
that  must,  of  course,  involve  oneness  of  mind  and 
feeling  with  Him.  And,  oh  !  what  a  suffering  life 
His  was  down  here  !  Nothing  has  been  more  im- 
pressed on  me  lately  than  this :  and  all  /  have  to 
learn  out  of  sufferino;  I  feel  inore  and  more  comes  so 
infinitely  short  of  what  He  felt.  His  experience  in 
the  Psalms  is  truly  marvellous;  and  painful  as  one's 
own  experience  so  often  is,  when  one  really  feels 
-what  the  Psalms  say,  I  still  do  think  it  is  positively 
comforting  to  know  it  is  '  fellowship'  with  Jesus." 

And  still  another  feature  of  that  deepening  expe- 
rience she  notes  :  "  I  have  been  peculiarly  tried  by 
the  sins  of  others.  At  every  turn  I  see  or  hear 
something  which  I  know  must  grieve  '  the  Spirit  of 
holiness,'  and  am  for  ever  joining  myself  in  doing  the 
same  things  along  with  others;  and  sometimes  the 
sins  of  believers,  and  sometimes  the  sins  of  those 
who  quite  set  our  Lord  at  nought,  se(m  as  if  they 
would  crush  me.  Oh  !  is  it  not  like  going  under  a 
wheel  full  of  iron  spikes,  (o  be  made  to  hear  unholy 
things  said  of  Ouc  so  dear  as  Jesus  ?     Hut  if  we  feel 


rilK     LOKu'd     PLANTS.  273 

it,  how  infinitely  more  cuttini^  it  must  have  been  tc 
Him  !  Oh !  what  words  those  are — '  I  am  the  song 
of  the  drunkard  !'  To  think  of  Jesus  hearins;  Him- 
self on  the  lips  of  a  drunken  man,  whilst  He  had 
come  down  from  the  realms  of  eternal  purity  to  res- 
cue us  sinners  by  His  blood !  But  I  cannot  say  in 
words  what  such  thoughts  as  these  lead  one  to — 
language  seems  to  fail  one  completely." 

One  day,  in  conversation  with  a  deeply  tried  friend, 
she  said — "  Don't  we  fail,  as  Christians,  in  not  seeing 
all  our  sufferings  to  be  a  faint  reflection  of  Christ's? 
I  don't  think  we  half  believe  that  He  really  had  the  \ 
feelings  of  sadness,  of  distress,  of  inward  desolate- 
ness,  which  He  had  and  which  we  have.  And  yet  I 
believe  that  when  we  are  tried,  the  truest  comfort 
and  strength  are  derived  from  seeing  our  trials  to  be 
a  participation  of  His." 

And,  writing  to  another,  she  says  :  "  Have  you  ever 
read  'Payson's  Memoir'  ?  I  don't  wonder  at  Hewit- 
son's  love  for  it.  Is  it  not  very  interesting  to  you 
to  watch  the  ditferent  ways  in  which  the  Lord  trains 
His  plants,  especially  those  which  are  to  bear  much 
fruit?  I  like  looking  through  memoirs,  just  to  see 
this.  The  Memoir  of  J.  H.  Evans  suits  me  exactly 
just  now :  his  was  such  deep  experience ;  but  I 
feel  throughout  his  memoir  the  lack  of  that  bright- 
ness which  the  hope  of  the  Lord's  coming  gives, 
and  which  lights  up  Hewitson's  Memoir  with  such 
brilliancy." 

And  she  adds  :  "  How  kind  it  is  of  you  to  think 
of  me !     It  is  the  love  of  Jesus  runninjr  throuijh  vou 


274  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

Irorn  His  own  heart.  All  yon  have  told  me  of  M«- 
KrausG  is  most  precious.  I  do  increasingly  love  to 
hear  ot  God's  dealings  with  His  children  ;  it  has 
seemed  .ately  to  tell  me  so  much  of  Himself.  How 
suddcnl}  he  was  admitted  into  the  presence  of  his 
long-loved  Master !  I  wonder  how  soon  all  the 
Lo!s  will  be  taken  out  of  Sodom.  A  closer  walk 
with  Him  is  what  I  want  so  much.  I  almost  always 
seem  at  a  little  distance  from  Him.  Oh  !  when  shall 
the  clouds  of  sin  be  for  ever  dispelled  by  the  un- 
clouded sunshine  of  His  presence  in  glory  everlast- 
ing ?" 

In  her  own  genial  and  touching  way  she  writes, 
March  9  (1852),  to  her  humble  friend,  thus:  "Truly 
my  heart  often  longs  for  communion  with  yours ;  and 
I  believe  I  should  often  have  written,  had  I  not  been 
so  sad.  I  am  certain  it  is  chiefiy  bodily  depression; 
but  do  pray  for  me,  will  you  ?  that  the  light  of  the 
beaming  countenance  of  Jesus  may  shine  on  me  and 
gladden  me.  I  hope  He  shines  on  you.  Will  you 
accept  this  little  hyacinth  ?  It  does  not  smell  so  sweet 
as  it  should  do ;  but  I  think  it  will  shed  a  sweeter 
fragrance  in  your  house  than  in  our's.  It  is  white, 
and  I  know  you  like  white  flowers — they  i-emind  you 
of  the  spotless  purity  of  Him  in  whose  '  white  rai- 
ment' you  are  arrayed.  "  Oh !  how  we  feel  the  need 
of  our  being  clothed  in  our  white,  blood-washed  robes, 
when  we  would  enter  into  '  the  holiest'  to  appear 
under  the  very  eye  of  our  heart-searching,  rein-trying, 
holy,  holy,  holy  God  !" 

The  "sadness"  here  named  sho  nllndes  to  in  another 


T  H  E     K  I  N  U  U  O  M  .  '2  I  O 

letter:  "I  have  felt  so  unable  lately  to  think,  or  read, 
or  love,  or  pray,  that  it  has  been  rather  a  dreary  time 
with  me  ;  but  how  thankful  I  ought  to  be  that  I  have 
had  no  doubts  about  being  a  child  of  God  I  Don't 
you  think  a  negative  state  toward  God  is  far  better 
than  anything  p:)sitively  evil,  in  contact  with  the  Evil 
One  ?  At  least,  when  one  is  feeble,  it  is  very  tender 
dealing  to  be  shielded  from  the  attacks  of  the  '  roar- 
ing lion' — is  it  not  ?  I  should  be  very  unhappy  about 
myself,  only  that  I  am  really  sure  it  is  physical  in- 
firmity which  makes  me  so  unable  to  feel ;  and  I  be- 
lieve it  is  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  which  is  sent  expressly 
t<i  liunible  me,  so  that  I  almost  value  it  whilst  it 
giieves  me." 

Turning  from  herself  and  her  experience  to  Christ 
and  ITis  experience,  she  writes,  March  19:  "Read- 
ing Mark  xiv.,  and  comparing  it  with  Luke  xxii.,  I 
have  been  so  exceedingly  struck  with  the  way  in 
which  thoughts  of  *  the  Kingdom'  seemed  to  fill  His 
mind,  as  He  drew  nearer  to  His  greatest  sufierings. 
In  this.  Psalms  xxii.,  Ixix.,  and  cii.  are  perfectly 
parallel ;  the  extreniest  sufferings  and  the  brightest 
glory  seem  brought  close  together.  And  has  it 
struck  you  how  increasingly  '  the  Kingdom''  seemed 
to  occupy  Him  as  He  drew  near  to  it — so  that  Hi- 
spent  the  forty  days  after  His  resurrection  chiefly  (I 
suppose)  '  in  speaking  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the 
Kingdom  ?' " 

A  kindred  thought  is  given  in  another  letter, 
thus :  "  Do  you  remember  that  day  when  dear 
Mr  C first  gave  us  the  Tjord's  Supper  together. 


276  M  L  M  O  I  K      OK     A  .      L .      NEWTON. 

and  H B was  with  us  <     It  has  struck  in« 

hitcly,  in  thinking  of  Melo.hizedec,  that  his  bringing 
forth  '  bread  and  wine'  to  Abraham  after  his  victory 
is  a  rem.'ukable  foreshadowing  of  tlie  day  when  Christ 
will,  in  a  certain  sense,  exchange  His  priestly  work 
for  His  royal  character,  and,  when  all  His  enemies 
are  put  down,  He  enters  on  His  reign  of  righteous- 
ness and  peace,  and  fulfils  His  word  in  Luke  xxii. 
16-18:  'I  will  not  any  more  eat  thereof,  until  it 
be  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of  God,'  and  'I  will  not 
drink  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  the  kingdom  of 
God  shall  come.'  Do  you  not  thiidc  that  the  typical 
character  of  Melchizedec  throws  light  upon  those 
difficult  words?  Until  this  connecting  them  with 
Melchizedech's  royal  priesthood  struck  me,  I  never 
felt  to  have  a  glimpse  of  light  as  to  their  true  mean- 
ing." 

Another  of  the  experiences  of  the  Man  of  Sorrows 
she  alludes  to  elsewhere :  "  How^  intensely  wonder- 
ful the  sympathy  of  Jesus  is  in  all  the  varied  suffer- 
ings of  this  life — is  it  not  ?  How  wondeiful  the 
tears  He  she<l  over  Lazarus,  the  inward  groanings  of 
His  troubled  spirit,  the  bitter  trial  of  finding  no  one 
who  could  go  all  lengths  with  Him  in  what  He  felt  I 
Have  you  noticed  in  Luke  xxii.,  that  it  was'  in  the 
supper-chanibcr,  oq  His  hist  night  oti  earth,  and 
when  they  must  have  been  round  the  very  table 
whore  they  had  just  been  partaking  of  the  outward 
symbols  of  His  lowest  degradation,  that  the  disciples 
began  to  contend  and  strive  about  which  sIkhiUI  l>i! 
the  greatest  ?     I  think  it  muj^t  have  V)e(ii  ^^o  diMj'lj 


"  A      1'  L  A  C  K      ri  V      M  K  ."  277 

painful  to  Jesus  on  that  last  night  to  witness  it,  and 
so  tiying  to  Him  to  hear  their  '  strife.'  To  me  there 
is  something  so  exquisitely  painful  in  hearing  a  sharp 
contention  nbout  anything;  so,  what  must  it  have 
been  to  Him  ?" 

Once  more  in  the  sunshine,  her  face  again  shone. 
"  Have  you  noticed,"  she  writes,  "  those  four  won- 
derful words  (Exod.  xxxiii.  21) — 'A  place  by  mef 
Is  it  not,  of  all  places  on  the  earth,  the  place  one 
would  choose  to  be  in  above  every  other  ?  And  I 
think  there  is  something  so  striking  in  the  thought 
of  the  Holy  One  placing  the  sinner  by  His  side! 
But  it  is  all  explained  by  its  being  '  in  the  cleft  of 
the  Rock' — '  that  Rock  is  Christ.'  I  am  thankful  tu 
tell  you  I  have  been  permitted  to  spend  many  happy 
days  lately,  as  if  with  Jesus — His  Word  has  been  so 
precious  to  me,  and  Himself  so  dear.  I  shall  never 
be  near  enough  to  Him  till  I  am  actually  with  Him. 
I  am  so  glad  you  are  feeling  these  intense  desires 
after  Him :  is  it  not  like  the  parched  earth  waiting 
on  Him  for  showers  of  rain  ?  And  it  shall  come, 
'  in  its  season.'  But  we  have  surely  got  the  earnest 
already  in  our  desires  for  it." 

In  a  house  she  was  \nsiting  one  day,  she  met  a 
German  governess,  to  whom  she  spoke  kindly  of  the 
"great  salvation."  "  I  found  her,"  she  writes,  April 
28,  ''a  simple-minded  young  creature,  anxious  to  be 
a  Christian,  yet  hardly  knowing  how.     She  had  been 

with  a  clergyman  at ,  before  she  came  there : 

but  when  I  asked  her  if  they  were  Christian  people 
ehe  had   licen  witli.  she  said   slip  ro.-illy  ilid  not  knov? 


278  MEMOIR     OK     A  .     L .     N  K  W  I  O  N . 

— they  were  called  so,  but  they  did  not  seem  to  live 
as  the  Bible  would  make  Christians  live,  and  she 
could  not  well  understand  who  were  Christians  and 
who  were  not '.  Oh  I  how  it  did  make  me  fuel 
ashamed  of  our  traitor-like  character !"     . 

And  to  another  :  "  Thinking  this  morning  of  you 
and  your  troubles,  that  verse  occurred  to  me — '  I  will 
bring  the  blind  by  a  way  which  they  know  not.' 
(Isa.  xlii.  16.)  I  was  supposing  a  father  with  several 
blind  children,  leading  them  through  the  streets  of 
London.  Is  it  not  a  fit  illustration  of  our  heaveidy 
Father's  leading  of  us  through  this  trackless  world  ? 
and  does  not  everything  depend  on  the  confidence 
we  feel  in  the  hand  which  is  leading  us  ?  Oh ! 
how  safe  we  are,  though  blind  and  utterly  unable  to 
see  our  way  thiough  the  crowd  of  harassing  events 
surrounding  us !" 

And  to  an  old  schoolfellow:  "One  thing  lately 
has  so  pre-occuj)ied  my  mind  that  I  have  left  nearly 
everything  for  it ;  it  has  been  a  craving  after  inter- 
course with  God  Himself,  which  nothing  less  could 
satisfy — and  1  like  to  spend  my  time  on  my  knees  as 
much  as  I  can.  I  can't  call  it  piaying,  but  'waiting 
upon  God,'  as  it  were  :  and  then,  with  the  Bible 
open  before  me,  it  is  almost  as  if  He  Himself  were 
(personally  present,  saying  the  words — they  seem  so 
really  to  come  from  Him.  Oh  !  to  be  present  with 
the  Lord  !  what  bliss  it  will  be  I" 

The  Bible's  adaptedness  to  our  nianifold  neces- 
eities  she  was  ever  delighting  to  exhibit.  "  Is  it  not 
very  beautiful,"  she  wi-ites,  "  to  see  Job  (chapter  xix. 


"redemption."  279 

25-27)  taking  tliat  particular  view  of  his  Re  '.comer 
which  was  most  exactly  suited  to  liis  own  case? 
His  body  being  so  afflicted,  and  so  miicli  the  cause 
of  his  suffeiing,  it  seems  to  me  as  if  he  were  given 
to  look  onward  in  faith  to  the  '  day'  when  it  should 
be  '  redeemed,'  and  so  purified  that  in  it  he  should 
see  God  !  Paul,  again,  in  writing  of  '  redemption' 
when  one  might  imagine  him  to  have  been  in  health, 
speaks  of '  waiting  for  the  redemption  of  the  body' 
rather  in  connexion  with  the  renewal  of  'creation.' 
Don't  you  think  there  is  an  interesting  distinction 
betwixt  the  two  states  of  mind,  just  arising  from  the 
different  outward  circumstances  ?"     And    she  adds : 

"  How  wonderful  it  is,  dear  ,  that  I  may  call 

myself  your  sister  in  and  tlirough  that  'Redeemer,' 
our  kinsman — is  it  not  ?  May  you  enjoy  nmch 
sweet  intercourse  with  Ilim,  in  holy  intimaci/  ^^'i^h 
Him,  in  that  ehaiacter  I" 

And,  on  May  27  (1852),  she  aj^peals  to  another 
thus :  "  You  say  you  are  '  in  wretched  spiiits  :'  what, 
then,  shall  I  say  to  comfort  and  cheer  you  ?  Why, 
of  all  things,  I  know  nothing  so  comfoiting  or  so  de- 
lightfullv  cheering  as  to  look  up  above  all  the  chang- 
ing scenes  of  this  changing  life,  to  the  serenity,  and 
beauty,  and  exquisite  glories  of  the  world  to  come, 
where  nothing  needs  change  because  all  is  perfect 
and  satisfactory,  and  so  good  that  it  cannot  be  made 
better !  Look  up  there,  till  your  eyes  are  so  rivetted 
that  you  forget  the  toil,  and  tumult,  and  din  of  Lon- 
don ;  and,  what  is  better  still,  look  till  you  are 
'  changed  from  glory  to  glory.'     Has  it   ever  stiuck 


280  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     N  K  \V  T  U  X . 

you  that  transformation  of  character  actually  takes 
place  by  '  beholding  glory  .<'  I  don't  believe  we  have 
any  idea  of  the  cft'ect  which  '  looking'  Avith  the  eyes 
of  our  mind  has  upon  us.  May  you  experience  the 
relief  of  such  a  '  look,'  for  the  cure  of  all  the  wretch- 
edness of  your  spirits  !" 

And,  oil  July  8,  she  writes  :  "  I  have  had  some 

long  and  happy  talks  lately  with  Mr.  G :  he  is 

like  one  who  has  nearly  passed  through  his  Sion- 
ward  journey.  It  is  seldom  one  can  meet  with  such 
ripened  and  matured  Christians  ;  and  I  found  '  a  rest 
in  my  spirit'  with  him  which  I  have  not  known 
since  I  was  at  Torquay  ;  no,  nor  even  there,  for  I 
was  comparatively  young  in  cxperierco  myself  then. 
You  will  say,  So  I  am  now ;  ami  it  is  true  :  and  yet 
I  often  feel  as  if  I  had  been  lung  enough  on  the 
borders  of  eternity  to  luive  learned  a  good  deal  since 
then.  Oh  !  what  a  ditl'erenoe  that  makes !  Was 
your  illness  dangerous  ?  I  am  so  interested  in  know- 
ing how  others  feel  when  they  think  they  are  near 
Home,  especially  if  they  are  turned  baok  again  a  little 
longer  to  sojourn  in  the  wilderness." 


CHAPTEK   XVIII. 

In  a  garden  near  Milan,  in  the  spring  of  372,  a 
young  man  lay  one  morning  under  a  fig-tree,  moan- 
ing and  bathed  in  tears.  '-Take  and  read  !"  cried  a 
voice  to  him  from  a  neighboring  house — "  Tidce  and 
read !  take  and  read !"  A  neglected  Bible  flashed 
upon  his  soul ;  and  he  hastened  to  a  friend  with  whom 
a  short  while  before  he  ha.l  left  a  roll  of  Paul's 
Epistles,  "I  seized  the  roll,"  says  he,  describing,  the 
scene,  "  aud  read  in  silence  the  chapter  on  which  my 
eve  first  alighted,  the  thirteenth  of  Romans.  '  Put 
ye  on'  it  said,  in  closing,  'the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
make  not  provision  for  the  flesh,  to  fulfil  the  lusts 
thereof.'  I  did  not  want  to  read  any  more;  nor 
was  there  any  need — every  doubt  was  banished." 
Augustine,  from  that  hour,  was  on  the  Lord's  side. 
"A  passage  of  God's  Word,"  says  Gaussen,  alluding 
(o  the  occasion,  "had  kindled  that  glorious  lu- 
minary which  was  to  enlighten  the  Church  for  ten 
centuries,  aud  whose  beams  ghidden  hel"  even  to  the 
present  day." 

The  same  Word  was  Augustine's  daily  joy.  And 
in  the  measure  in  which  he  was  a  Bible-Christian,  he 
grew  in  the  knowledge  of  God  and  in  the  graces  of 
the  life  of  God. 

24* 


282  M  E  M  U  I  It      O  K      A  .      L.      -N  E  W   I   U  N  . 

Adelaide  Newton  also  owed  to  that  Word  her  daily 
growth  in  heaveiiliness.  Talking  one  day  about  the 
words,  "Whatsoever  He  shall  hear,  that  shall  He 
speak,"  she  quoted  the  passage — "The  Spirit  searcheth 
all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God,"  and  added  • 
i"  Don't  you  think  tliere  is  not  a  truth  of  God  lie 
I  cannot  lead  us  into,  if  only  we  were  able  to  bear  it? 
jl  have  been  so  struck  with  the  thought  of  His 
'searching  out  these  things.  And  the  word,"  she 
continued,  "seems  to  imply  it:  it  is,  'to  trace,  to  in- 
vestigate, to  explore' — as  if  He  delighted  to  explore 
the  infinite  depths  of  His  own  eternal  mind,  and  then 
reveal  them  to  us !" 

Here  is  the  Bible-student  in  her  chamber.  "  I 
often  feel  inclined  to  sinilo,"  she  writes,  J-ily  15 
(1852),  "at  my  sofa,  with  a  Hebrew  Bible  and 
Lexicon  at  one  side,  a  Greek  Testament  and  Lexicon 
at  the  other,  and  one  or  two  English  Bibles  always 
about  it,  too.  I  long  only  more  aul  more  to  make 
my  Bible  the  study  of  my  life.  Preeious  little  vol- 
ume !  what  wonders  it  reveals  !" 

And  a  farther  glimpse  into  the  chamber  is  given 
elsewhere:  "I  am  left  alone  just  now.  I  enjoy  the 
quiet  solitu'le  so  much,  often  not  seeing  any  one  for 
hours  together — 

"  '  His  Omnipresence  my  sweet  company.' 

I  am  fancying  you  all  solitary  and  bereft  of  visible 
creature-society.  But  you  are  at  least  surrounded  by 
three  Friends,  who  can  look  at  you,  and  converse 
with  you,  and  make  your  Jieart  burn  with  iiitenser 


b  O  L  IT  L  U  K.  283 

joy  than  over  you  felt  with  a  creatuiv-friond.  Like 
Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego,  aii<l  the  Son  of 
God,  you  may  be  in  the  furnace  ;  but  you  have  three 
Divine  Persons  with  you  there  !  they  were — three 
human  and  One  Divine." 

And  in  another  letter,  she  writes  :  "  Is  your  mind 
enjoying-  any  special  portion  of  the  Word  just  now? 
I  am  like  a  bee,  gathering  in  something  whicli  is  very 
'  sweet  to  my  taste,'  as  I  roam  about  in  the  Lord's 
rich  pastures,  yet  knowing  nothing  of  the  science  of 
the  plants  I  am  feasting  on,  nor  able,  during  my  short 
span  of  life,  to  explore  the  yet  unknown  fields  of 
delight  which  even  the  Word  of  God  could  reveal  to 
me.  Still  I  am  almost  entirely  occupied  with  it ;  and 
I  think  I  can  truly  say,  '  His  fruit  is  pleasant  to  my 
taste.'  " 

An  attack  this  summer,  when  on  a  visit  to  D , 

again  reminded  her  of  the  frailness  of  the  tenure 
which  kept  her  on  this  mortal  scene.  It  came  ia  the 
fojm  of  an  overwhelming  prostration.  "I  cannot 
say  I  am  nmch  better  yet,"  she  writes,  on  her  return 
home ;  "  nor  do  I  at  all  understand  myself.  No  one 
has  found  out  here  that  I  am  not  as  well  as  ever ;  and 
I  cannot  tell  them." 

Dear  Adelaide's  religion  was  not  an  exotic,  living 
in  the  solitude  and  in  the  sick-chamber,  but  unable 
to  face  the  world's  rough  winds.  Before  her  first  ill- 
ness, and  again  during  the  last  two  years  of  compar- 
ative health,  it  had  proved  itself  a  hardy  plant.  And 
if,  in  the  sequel,  we  fin  1  hor,  amidst,  the  privacy  and 
the  s!iavpness  of  new  sufferings,  adoriieii  with  a  new 


284  M  E  M  O  J  H     OK      A  .      i. .      N  L  W   I   u  N  . 

holiness,  it  is  only  a  new  phase  of  th.it  inner  lilV  .vliicli 
had  already  been  nurtured  so  abundantly  and  so  ten- 
derly by  the  divine  Husbandman. 

"  Such  sharpness  shows  the  sweetest  Friend ; 
Such  cuttings  rather  heal  than  rend ; 
And  such  beginnings  touch  their  end." 

On  Aug.  1  (1852),  she  writes:  "My  body  is  a 
very  great  burden  to  iny  spirit.  When  shall  it  be 
changed  for  one  like  that  of  Jesus  ?  May  He  reveal 
much  of  Himself  to  you  hour  by  hour !  Hebrews 
has  been  interesting  me  exceedingly.  I  am  thinlcing 
just  now  of  chap.  ii.  10  :  there  is  such  a  depth  of 
meaning,  that  I  am  utterly  lost  in  it ;  but  if  it  were 
fit  in  God  to  perfect  our  Leader  through  suftering, 
of  course  His  followers  nmst  be  led  along  the  same 
pathway."  And  again  :  "  Oh  !  how  I  long  for  a 
near  place  in  the  Body  (of  which  we  are  the  mem- 
bers) to  the  heart  of  Jesus !  that  every  pulse  might 
beat  in  close  unison  with  His !  that  I  might  always 
move  in  that  precise  direction  in  which  the  He:id 
designed  !" 

And  a  few  weeks  later,  she  says :  "  I  am  so  de- 
lighting just  now  in  those  precious  words — '  Surely, 
I  come  quickly.'  Does  it  not  make  your  heart  thrc^b 
with  holy  joy  to  think  how  soon  Jesus  may  come, 
and  fetch  us  all  to  be  His  bride  for  ever  ?  There  will 
be  no  more  little  irritating  vexations,  and  no  more 
of  these  greater  tribulations,  then.  Aiid  God's  es- 
timate of  the  time  which  has  to  elapse  first  is  so 
comforting.     Seven  times  within   four  verses  (JoIid 


god's    "manifold"    grace.         285 

xvi.  16-19),  the  Lord  repeats  the  words,  'A  Httle 
while.'  And  then  that  text  (Rev.  xxi.  G) — '  And  He 
said  unto  me.  It  is  done ''  does  it  not  convey  the 
idea  that  God  Himself  was  rejoicing  in  the  comple- 
tion of  His  work  ?  and  if  so,  don't  you  think  it  is  a 
great  source  of  sustaining  comfort  to  a  tried  believer, 
to.  see  each  day's  trials  as  the  successive  steps  lead- 
ing on  to  that  blessed  consnmmation  ?" 

Alluding  to  two  friends  who  had  visited  her,  she 
thus  delineates  God's  "manifold"  grace:  "I  am 
sadly  afraid  you  did  not  get  the  spiritual  refreshment 
or  strength  which  you  hoped  for.  I  never  like  those 
large  parties ;  and  you  had  not  even  the  quiet  hour 
with  him  which  I  had.  He  was,  beyond  anything, 
delightful  when  I  w^.s  alone  with  him  :  he  talked 
to  me  of  Christ,  and  gave  Him  such  true  pre-emi- 
nence. He  was  so  calm  and  subdued,  and  yet  so 
brilliantly  happy ;  it  was  like  sunshine  to  have  him 
in  mv  room.  In  fact,  lie  so  perfectly  enchants  me, 
that  I  am  glad  to  have  the  disai>pointed  feeling  in 
him,  that  in  some  of  the  deepest  feelings  of  my  heart 

he  has  no  sympathy.     Just  where sympathises 

so  deeply  he  seems  a  stranger  to  the  path  I  have,  in 
my  measure,  trodden.  And  the  reverse  is  equally 
true — where  the  one  is  depressed  and  unable  to  soar, 
the  other  calmly,  yet  with  the  truest  magnificence, 
seems  to  me  to  dwell.  Is  not  this  the  creature  dwelt 
in  by  the  Saviour,  who  shines  forth  in  each  through 
different  mediums  ?  And  are  not  we  deeply  taught 
bv  each  to  love  Him  in  them  as  streams  of  living 
water,  vet  not  the  Fountain  ?" 


286  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

The  Jew  and  liis  vacant  Land  could  not  fail  to 
engage  tlie  tliouglits  and  sympathies  of  one  who  so 
earnestly  pondered  the  AVord.  "  I  really  do  not 
wish  to  trouble  you  to  write,"  she  says,  in  a  letter  to 

Colonel  G ,  "  unless  you  can  tell   us  anything 

about  the  chosen  people,  so  dear  to  the  heart  of 
God  that  they  ought  to  be  dear  to  us.  All  you  tell 
nie  of  their  present  state  and  feelings  is  deeply  inter- 
esting. I  am  glad,  too,  that  you  still  purpose  to 
publish  your  Tour.  I  cannot  express  how  my  heart 
responded  to  your  remark,  that  God  ever  checks 
human  impatience  and  keeps  us  waiting.  Sometimes 
'an  horror  of  great  darkness'  creeps  over  me,  when 
I  think  of  all  that  is  involved  in  Israel's  restoration  ; 
but  the  'end'  is  'peace,  and  not  evil,'  and  we  must 
keep  our  eye  fixed  on  that." 

Another  subject  also  occuj)ied  her  thoughts  at 
this  period.  "  Egypt,"  she  writes,  "  has  rather  been 
dividing  my  thoughts  with  Jerusalem.  I  felt  that 
Forster's  decypherments,  if  true,  were  so  important 
in  the  cause  of  truth,  that,  having  Egyptian  hiero- 
glyphics within  reach  at  the  Derby  Museum,  I 
resolved  to  test  them,  as  far  as  I  could,  for  myself. 
I  studied  Forster's  'Pharaonic  Alphabet'  very  care* 
fully  before  I  wont  to  look  at  the  mummy ;  and  you 
may  readily  imagine  my  delight  on  instantly  recog- 
nizing the  identical  characters  upon  its  back,  in  two 
long  inscriptions.  I  copied  them  on  the  spot,  and 
afterwards  sent  a  copy  to  Mr.  Forster,  with  each 
letter  of  the  inscription  ])ut  side  by  side  with  what  I 
believed  to  be  the  corresponding  English  letter.    Mr 


K  Q  Y  p  r  I  A  X     H  I  E  K  I)  c;  L  V  r  H  I  C  8 .  287 

Forster  sajs  I  have  'road  the  (characters  with  the 
greatest  accuracy,  and  enablci]  him  to  give  a  full 
decypherment  of  them.' " 

And,  some  months  later,  writing  to  tlic  Rev.  Mr. 
Forster,  she  says:  "The  eager  interest  witli  which 
I  read  your  most  kind  letter,  with  its  accompanying 
decyphennents,  you  can  probably  imagine,  but  I 
could  not  attempt  to  express.  I  never  anticipated 
so  much  success  in  my  endeavours  to  ascertain  for 
myself  the  truth  of  your  decyphermeuts.  I  hope 
you  were  satisfied  when  you  saw  the  bustard.  But 
the  point  which  has  most  Aveight  with  me  is,  that  I 
should  have  fixed  upon  the  only  unknown  hiero- 
glyphic in  either  inscription  which  was  not  a  letter, 
as  the  one  which  thoroughly  puzzled  me.  I  think 
this  is  immensely  conclusive,  in  favour  of  the  truth 
of  your  alphabet.  You  do  not  need  such  proofs  for 
yourself;  but,  for  a  stranger  to  have  met  with  such 
success,  is  an  important,  independent  testimony — is 
it  not?  You  are  perfectly  at  liberty  to  make  any 
use  you  like  of  my  drawing,  provided  you  say  nothing 
of  me." 

In  the  same  letter,  she  gives  another  specimen  of 
her  researches,  thus  :  "  I  was  looking  out  some  words 
in  Exod.  xxviii.,  when  I  came  to  the  '  pomegranate,' 
and  when  I  saw,  to  my  great  delight,  that  the  Hebrew 
word  is  vn-i — so  like  raman,  that  I  hoped  I  might 
find  something  agreeing  with  your  decypherment  in 
the  tablet  from  Osiris.  Is  it  not  singular,  that 
Parkhurst  should  give  this  definition  of  the  root 
nn-: — 'To  cast,  throw,  project;'  in  Kal — 'to  cast  or 


288  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

throw  into  some  calamity  or  ovil ;'  '  to  throw  into 
some  disagreeable  fiituation  or  circumstances,  by 
deceit  and  fraud.  In  frandem  impellere  aut  ipjtcere, 
to  deceive,  cheat,  throw,  or  fimrr'  ?  In  that  inscrip- 
tion you  gave  the  word  '  wahar,'  as  *  casting  a  man 
into  something  from  which  he  cannot  get  out ;'  and 
the  words  immediately  preceding  the  word  raman, 
were  'dissembling,'  and  'an  accuser,  or  deceiver.' 
So  that  the  Hebrew  root  suggests  the  very  ideas 
af^tually  to  be  found  in  words  surrounding  the  picto- 
rial representations  of  the  'pomegranate  tree!'" 

And,  a  few  days  afterwards,  Mr.  Forster  replies : 
"  I  have  to  thank  you  very  cordially  for  your  last  let- 
ter, and  for  its  highly  valuable  confirmation  of  my 
renderings  of  the  inscriptions  surrounding  the  picture 
of  the  Fall.  The  sense  of  the  root  nn-i,  which  you 
alduce  from  the  Hebrew  lexicons,  is  indeed  most  im- 
portant ;  for,  while  it  independently  corroborates  my 
versions  of  the  adjacent  terms,  it  shows  anew  the 
close  affinity  betwixt  the  Hebrew  and  Arabic,  and 
supplies  a  valuable  correction  of  a  grave  error  of  the 
loxicographers." 

And,  in  April,  1853,  she  writes:  "  I  need  scarcely 
say  with  what  pleasure  I  am  anticipating  the  third 
part  of  the  '  Primeval  Language.'  The  subject  grows 
in  interest  every  day ;  but  I  have  regretted  my  in- 
ability through  illness  to  pursue  my  own  investiga- 
tions of  it." 

These  scattered  fragments  of  a  very  full  corres- 
pondence are  given,  not  for  their  subjoct-inatter,  but 
as  another  specimen  of  Adelai<le's  earnest  zeal  in  pro- 


OROWINO     IN     HEAVENL.NE88.  289 

secuting  any  inquiry  which  eiignged  her.  The  hiero- 
glyphics we  find  her  "  studying  ahnost  day  and  night, 
the  subject  taking  entire  possession  of  her."  It  was 
not,  however,  to  indulge  a  mere  intellectual  taste, 
but,  as  she  tells  us,  "  because  it  bore  upon  God's 
truth,"  and  because  she  was  "  convinced  that  these 
are  days  when  everything  connected  with  the  East  is 
of  vast  importance." 

Meanwhile  she  grew  in  heavenliness.  "  The  stream 
runs  past,"  she  writes  to  an  afflicted  friend  at  Tor- 
quay ;  "  and,  I  dare  say,  you  often  come  within  sight 
of  the  harbour  now.  But  if  you,  and  I,  and  others, 
are  bid  to  tarry  here  to  dispense  the  food  which  Je^ 
sus  would  give  to  save  the  lives  of  those  who  '  perish 
with  hunger,'  we  may  well  do  so  with  gladsome 
hearts.  To  be  hid  in  God  with  Christ  seems  to  me 
the  very  highest  possible  pitch  of  exaltation ! — and 
yet  this  is  our  privilege  now  ;  and  hereafter,  when 
Christ  '  appears,'  so  shall  we  '  appear,' — to  display  to 
angels,  and  principalities,  and  powers,  the  manifold 
wisdom  of  our  God  !  They  shall  see  why  your  life 
is  still  prolonged — don't  you  think  ? — and  wonder 
and  adore  the  depth  of  the  riches  of  His  wisdom  and 
knowledge." 

And  her  eye  was  still  fixed  on  God.  "  May  I  send 
you  to-day,"  she  writes,  "this  verse  from  the  139th 
Psalm  :  '  How  precious  also  are  thy  thoughts  unto 
me,  O  God  !  how  great  is  the  sum  of  them !'  There 
is  such  a  striking  contrast  in  that  Psalm  betwixt  the 
felt  poverty  of  our  thoughts  of  God  and  the  rich  pro- 
fusion of  His  thought.'!  of  us !  And  just  the  same 
25 


290  MEMOIR     OF     A.     h.     NEWTON. 

of  His  knowledoe  of  us,  contrnsted  with  our  it.- 
ability  to  know  Ilim.  'Thou  hast  known  me  ;  thou 
knowest  my  downsitting  and  mine  uprising.  Tiiou 
nnderstandest  my  thouglits  afar  off.'  '  Sucli  know- 
ledge is  too  wonderful  for  me ;  it  is  hii^li,  I  cannot 
attain  unto  it.'  This  only  we  seem  able  to  say  ;  and 
don't  you  think  there  is  felt  relief  in  saying  it — '  Mar- 
vellous are  thy  works,  and  that  my  soul  knoweth 
right  well  ?'  We  know  and  feel  how  little  we  can 
know  of  the  unsearchable  greatness  of  our  God.,  l^ut 
is  it  not  indeed  'precious'  to  be  assured  that  His 
thoughts  of  us  are  more  in  '  number  than  the  sand  V 
How  '  very  great'  it  makes  one  feel  He  is  !  I  often 
feel  now  so  overwhelmed  with  thoughts  like  these, 
and  how  impossible  it  is  to  say  anything  to  Him  or 
of  Him,  that  I  am  quite  dumb," 

And  in  another  letter  :  "  I  had  a  veiy  happy,  sol- 
emn time  last  night.  Only  I  am  almost  overwhelm- 
ed with  the  immensity  of  God's  greatness  and  the 
sense  of  my  own  insignificance  ; — all  that  I  can  do 
seems  such  child's  play !  I  am  such  a  mere  speck — 
such  an  infinite  atom — in  creation !  Surely  Chris- 
tians must  be  driven  soon  to  make  greater  sacrifices 
in  doing  the  Lord's  work  before  He  comes." 

The  conversation  turned  one  day  upon  "  the  very 
close  connexion  betwixt  the  joys  of  heaven  and  the 
joys  of  earth." 

"  Will  not  there  be,"  said  a  friend,  "  a  distinct 
calling  to  remembrance  there  of  the  things  done  in 
the  body  ?  Every  one  is  said  to  'receive  the  thingi 
done  in  the  body  1'" 


THE     "daylight     OF     ETERNITY."       291 

"  Yes,"  said  dear  Adelaide  ;  "  and  don't  you  tliink  if 
seems  the  great  principle  on  which  God  has  ever 
acted,  to  produce  an  increase  of  good  through  the 
permission  of  evil  or  trouble  1  I  was  so  struck  with 
this  last  night,"  she  proceeded,  "  in  looking  for  the 
Hebrew  of  Isa.  Ixv.  17, '  new  heavens,'  and  the  Greek 
of  Rev.  xxi.  5,  '  I  will  make  all  things  new.'  In  both 
the  word  has  the  sense  of  '  renovation  ;'  and  our  glo- 
rified bodies  coming  out  of  these  bodies  of  humiliation 
— life  cut  of  di'ath — glory  out  of  afflictions  (as  iu  2  Cor, 
iv.  17),  all  seem  to  tell  the  same  thing — do  they  not?" 

Another  day,  talking  with  a  friend  who  was  cast 
down  by  seeing  little  fruit,  she  said:  "But  in  the 
broad  daylight  of  eternity  you  will  know  (what  you 
cannot  well  know  now)  how  often  Goil  has  spoken 
through  you  words  in  season  to  the  weaiy — the  very 
work  which  lie  instructed  Jesus  how  to  do!  (Isa.  1. 
4.)  Oh,  how  precious  it  is,"  she  added,  "to  have  any 
kind  of  fellowship  with  Him  !" 

And  on  another  occasion,  conversing  with  a  much- 
tried  disciple,  she  said :  "  Don't  you  find  the  feeling 
grows  ujion  you,  that  very  few  words  are  necessary 
in  speaking  to  the  Lord  ?  He  reads  each  thought ; 
and  as  one  realizes  this  more,  don't  you  think  it 
takes  off  very  much  of  what,  in  earlier  experience, 
one  might  call  the  burden  of  prayer?  Does  not  it 
turn  it  rather  into  fellowship  and  continual  breathing 
m  the  spirit  of  prayer  ? — and  that,  you  know,  is  so 
diftereut  from  the  set  speaking  of  certain  seasons.  I 
can't  express  exactly  what  I  moan ;  but  it  is  like 
thinking  all  one's  thoughts  aloud  in  His  presence 


292  M  E  xM  0  1  R     OF     A .     L .     NEWTON. 

Oh,  for  more  of  it !  Oh,  to  have  no  silent  moments 
towards  God !" 

Martin  Luther,  in  liis  Will,  wrote :  "  Lord  God,  I 
thank  thee  that  thou  liast  been  pleased  to  make  me  a 
poor  and  indif^^ent  man  upon  earth.  I  have  neither 
house,  nor  land,  nor  money,  to  leave  behind  me." 
Dear  Adelaide  was  enable!,  with  a  like  "thankful- 
ness," to  rejoice  in  lier  peculiar  discipline.  "  I  have 
just  been  reading,"  she  writes,  "  'Sickness  ;  its  Trials 

and   Blessings,'  by   's  recommendation  ;  and  I 

have  been  telling  her  that,  sound  and  useful  as  the 
})ractical  advice  is,  I  cannot  like  the  general  tone  of 
the  book — it  breatlics  so  little  of  the  glorious  liberty 
of  the  children,  and  so  much  of  the  hard  and  severe 
bondage  of  obedience,  making  tlic  '  will  of  God'  a 
thing  to  be  submitted  to  rather  than  loved.  The 
writer  seems  to  me  to  li:ive  sought  support  more 
through  the  Church  than  through  Jesus.  Oh,  how 
tenderly  He  sympathizes  !  and  how  completely  it  is- 
in  fellowship  with  Hiin  that  we  learn  to  bear,  ani 
suffer,  and  endure  unto  the  end  !" 

And  she  adds :  "  I  do  so  feel  the  truth  of  what 
yon  said  in  your  last,  thjit  it  is  the  secret  guiding  of 
His  eye,  and  the  discipline  of  one's  spirit  moment  by 
moment,  wliich  seems  the  reality  of  the  work  of 
grace.  This  has  been  very  much  brought  to  my 
mind  by  Ps.  l.wi.  17,  which  is,  literally,  '  O  God, 
Thou  hast  disciplined  me  from  ray  youth.'  The  He- 
brew word  is  the  same  as  that  used  for  '  a  goad'  for 
breaking  in  oxen.  He  has  been  unweariedly  training 
US  from  our  youth  until  now  :  most  truly  you  and  I 


T  II  A  N  K  F  L   L  N  E  6  8 .  293 

can  feel  it  has  been  so,  can  we  not?  And  may  we 
not  well  repeat  the  constant  prayer,  as  David  did, 
'Teach  ine  Thy  statutes,'  go  on  training,-  me  ?  for  it  is 
the  same  word  all  through  Ps.  cxix.,  except  in  verses 
33  and  102,  where  teaching  means  rather  guidance 
or  direction  in  a  right  way  or  course  of  action.  Then 
we  need  not  complain  or  bemoan  ourselves,  like 
Ephraim,  as  bullocks  untrained  (or  unaccustomed  to 
the  yoke),  undisciplined,  and  wayward.  The  verse  I 
should  like  to  send  you  especially  is  Ps.  Ixxi.  5,  'Thou 
art  my  hope,  O  Lord  God'  (signifying,  as  in  Rom. 
viii.  20,  and  in  Phil  i.  20,  a  stretching  forth  the 
head  and  neck,  with  earnest  observation,  to  see  when 
the  person  expected  shall  appear).  Oh,  for  this  long- 
ing after  Jesus  !  and  surely  it  anses  out  of  the  words 
that  follow,  '  Thou  art  my  trust  from  my  youth.' 
The  object  we  have  been  clinging  to,  trusting  in,  and 
relying  upon  !  must  we  not  long  to  see  Him  whom 
unseen  we  adore?" 

And,  in  another  letter,  she  says  :  "I  grieve  for  your 
uncomfortableness;  but  I  am  sure  it  is  a  proof  of  love. 
And  that  is  a  furnace  which  will  do  you  no  harm. 
Some  time  ago,  I  remember  thinking  that  God  was 
teaching  me  to  justify  Him  in  all  Ilis  trying  deal- 
ings; but  really  of  late  this  feeling  has  been  changed 
for  one  of  real  thankfulness  for  each  and  every  sor- 
row lie  sends  me.  It  is  the  family-rod  ;  and  I  dare 
not  ask  to  be  the  child  that  is  not  to  have  its  way- 
wardness crushed  and  its  A\ill  broken.  So  I  thank 
Him  for  doing  it ;  and  I  thank  Him  for  enabling  me 
to  kiss  the  rod." 

25* 


294  M  K  M  0  I  R      OF     A  .     t .     N  K  W  T  O  N  . 

She  continued  to  "  watch  for  souls."  Writinir  t« 
a  young  friend  who  seeiiiod  to  'je  "halting  between 
two  opinions,"  she  says :  "  I  did  not  know,  till  after 
you  were  gone  home,  that  you  were  to  be  '  confirmed' 
to-morrow,  or  I  am  sure  I  could  not  have  seen  you 
without  giving  you  a  text,  and  telling  you  how  very 
earnestly  I  wish  that  it  may  please  God  to  draw  you 
with  the  cords  of  love,  and  to  make  you  '  His  child' 
to  all  eternity.  A  very  dear  girl,  whom  I  knew  at 
Torquay,  was  'confirmed'  a  few  weeks  ago;  and  writ- 
ing to  me  beforehand,  she  said,  '  Oh,  Avhat  a  hapyiy 
day  it  will  be,  when  I  publicly  declare  my  determin- 
ation to  be  a  follower  of  that  precious  Jesus  who 
gave  Himself  for  me  !'  And  when  she  wrote  again 
to  give  an  account  of  the  day,  she  added,  '  I  was 
admitted  to  the  privilege  of  partaking  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.  I  seemed  so  fully  to  realize  my  acceptance 
in  "  The  Beloved."  In  the  midst  of  the  pleasures  I 
am  expecting  this  summer,  do  pray  for  mo  that  I 
may 

"  '  Remember,  in  my  gladness, 
'Tis  His  love  gives  mo  all.'  " 

I  only  quote  from  her  letters,  instead  of  writing 
myself,  because  she  says  exactly  the  things  1  should 
like  to  say  to  you,  and  they  come  so  much  fresher  iu 
that  way  than  if  I  were  to  seem  to  sermonize  !  She 
lives  with  a  young  cousin  who  is  very,  very  gay  ;  an  I 
therefore  it  is  no  easy  thing  for  her  to  determine  to 
be  a  decided  Christian.  But  she  loves  Jesuts  heartily  ; 
and  what  we  love  we  find  means  to  follow.  This 
makes  ine  earnestly  desire  for  you  that  the   love  of 


THE     ONWAKK     JOURNKY.  295 

Jesus  raay  take  possession  of  your  heart,  and  be  what 
Dr.  Chahners  called  '  the  great  expulsive  principle,' 
which  drives  everything  else  but  Jesus  out — the 
M'orid,  self,  and  everything.  The  text  I  should  like 
to  send  you  is  Jer.  1.  5,  and  especially  the  words,  '  a 
perpetual  covenant.'  I  shall  only  add  to  all  this, 
that,  as  far  as  my  knowledge  of  religion  goes,  I  can 
truly  say  I  owe  all  my  happiness  to  it,  and  believe  it 
to  be  the  happiest  thing  in  the  world.  So  I  can  hon- 
estly recommend  it." 

Her  onward  journey  brought  with  it   new  sorrows 
and  new  joys  : 

"  Like  light  and  shade  upon  a  waving  field, 
Coursing  each  other,  while  the  flying  clouds 
Now  hide  and  now  reveal  the  sun." 

Writing  to  one  beloved  friend,  she  says :  "  Thoso 
words,  '  The  sorrows  of  iny  heart  are  enlarged,'  have 
struck  me  so  much  this  week  as  so  truthfully  giving 
expression  to  the  experience  of  the  advancing  Chris- 
tian. Don't  you  think  that  each  day  seems  to  open 
up  some  new  avenues  of  sorrow,  as  if  it  were  con- 
tinually finding  some  fresh  channels  in  which  to  flow 
through  our  ploughed-up  hearts  ?  And  the  far 
advanced  Christian  must  find,  both  in  the  deeper 
views  of  his  own  sin,  and  in  the  fresh  calls  for  sym- 
pathy with  each  new  sinner  he  meets  on  the  Sion- 
ward  Avay,  that  the  sorrows  of  his  heart  are  enlarged 
and  enlarging  with  every  onward  step  he  takes." 
And  to  another  :  "  This  morning  I  have  been  think- 
ing of  those  words  in  Ps.  cxiv.  2,  3,  '  Jmlali  was  His 


296  M  E  M  O  I  11     OK      A  .      J. .      N  K  W  I  O  V . 

sanctuary,  and  Israel  His  dominion.  The  sea  saw  it, 
and  fled.'  When  the  sea  saw  God  in  His  people,  it 
fled  before  them  !  Does  it  not  tell  us  that  it  is  God 
in  us  which  clears  our  way  through  the  most  im- 
penetrable obstacles,  and  that  seas  of  trouble  will  flee 
before  us  when  the  presence  of  the  Lord  is  manifested 
in  us  ?" 

And  as  she  journeys  onward,  she  is  found  clino^infy 
with  a  very  peculiar  love  to  certain  fellow-pilgrims. 

"  It  is  interesting  to  me,"  she  writes  to  Mrs.  C • 

W ,  Oct.  25  (1852),  "  to  hear  you  speak  of  your 

experience  now.  I  am  so  struck  with  the  humbling 
experience  which  those  Christians  who  have  lived 
actively  for  God  get  in  the  autumnal  stage.  There 
is  something  to  me  perfectTy  exquisite  in  the  chas- 
tened and  subdued  spirit  of  an  aged  Christian.  I 
wonder  that  I  like  it,  when  I  am  so  unsubdued  my- 
self: but  I  do;  and  I  only  long  to  make  them  feel 
how  'the  glory  of  the  Lord'  is  seen  upon  them. 
(Isa.  Ix.  2.)  I  wish  yun  knew  how  much  your  self- 
renunciation  teaches  me — you  would  scarcely  mourn 
any  more." 

In  this  region  where  she  now  journeys,  another 
expeneuce  comes.  "  I  have  felt  much  more,"  she 
writes,  Dec.  21  (1852),  "of  the  Devil's  presence  and 
working  of  late  than  I  ever  did  before.  I  seem  lo 
feel  so  much,  especially,  that  he  is  fighting  with 
God,  in  every  case  of  a  sinner's  resistance  of  Jesus." 
And  in  another  letter :  "  I  liad  a  sharp  conflittt, 
some  days  ago,  literally  with  the  powei-s  of  darkmss, 
but  I  can't  help  telling  you  how  one  text    helped  me 


A     NEW     YEAR.  297 

—it  must  liav'o  been  given  to  me — '  Take  the  shield 
of  faith,  wherewith  ye  sliall  be  .•ible  to  quench  all 
the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked  one.'  It  did  seem  to 
me  so  wonderful  at  that  moment,  that  the  fi-'iy  darts 
which  one  might  almost  say  are  lighted  at  hell's 
unquenchable  fire,  should  be  quenched,  one  after 
another,  as  they  touch  the  shield  of  faith." 

And  again  :  "  The  state  of  the  world  is  painfully 
interesting.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  strongly  I  have 
felt  lately  the  contest  which  is  carrying  on  betwixt 
God  and  the  devil,  and  the  broad  line  of  separation 
between  the  travellers  to  the  One  in  heaven  and  those 
to  the  other  in  hell — the  great  end  which  everything 
is  tending  to.  I  seem  as  if  I  had  no  middle  ground 
left  me  to  stand  upon ;  and  the  realizing  of  this  is 
immensely  helpful  in  making  you  feel  that  you  must 
act  as  on  the  Lord's  side." 

Entering  on  a  new  year  (1853),  she  writes  in  her 
Diary:  "Began  the  year  in  the  Lord's  house  on 
earth :  is  it  a  pledge  of  ending  it  in  the  house 
above  ?  Began  it  by  commemorating  Jesus'  dying 
love.  May  that  love  be  realized  daily  till  time  shall 
end ! 

"  '  I  want  as  a  traveller  to  haste, 

Nor  forethought  nor  anxious  contrivance  to  waste, 
On  the  tent  only  pitched  for  a  day.'  " 

And,  writing  to  a  friend,  she  says:  "May  1  send  you 
the  words  I  have  chosen  for  niy«elf,  as  expressing  ray 
earnest  longing  for  nearer  communion  with  Jesus 
during  the  new  year — '  Let   Him   kiss  me  with  the 


298  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

kisses  of  His  mouth'  ?  That  is  His  drawing  near  to 
us — is  it  not  ? — and  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  us  feel 
His  love,  and  know  that  He  is  manifesting  Himself 
unto  us  as  He  doth  not  unto  the  world."  And  to 
another,  on  Jan.  7  :  "  Oh  !  that  the  victory  which 
Jesus  hath  wrought  over  death  may  banish  every 
painful  thought,  and  enable  you,  in  holy  fellowship 
of  mind  with  Him,  to  make  the  present  a  time  of 
tiiuinphant  joy  to  you  !" 

Lighter  occupations  also  were  consecrated  to  God. 
"  I  have  been  painting  in  oils  a  little  lately,"  she 
writes,  "  for  a  rest  to  ray  too  active  head,  which  can- 
not bear  such  constant  thought.  Yet  it  is  very,  very 
tempting  to  be  always  mentally  at  work."  And,  an- 
other day,  she  writes:  '"I  have  actually  spent  seven 
whole  days  on  oil-painting,  which  I  find  easier  to  me 
than  water-colours.  The  first  day  I  painted  one 
pretty  little  picture  of  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane. 
Then  I  did  the  Sinaitic  Insciiptions,  which  took  two 
days ;  and  I  have  done  two  others  since.  If  I  can 
only  paint  without  self-gratification  and  self-exalta- 
tion, I  think  the  talent  may  be  turned  to  account." 
The  talent  was  of  no  common  order;  and  the  account 
to  which  she  turned  it,  was  to  aid  the  Irish  Missions 
and  other  Christian  enterprises. 

As  the  season  advanced,  the  weather  "  tried  her  a 
good  deal,  giving  her  such  sleepless  nights."  "  I  can- 
not help  looking  on  with  adoring  love,"  she  writes, 
"at  all  God's  dealings  with  me  ;  there  is  such  an  un- 
folding of  His  manifold  wisdom  in  the  mingling  of 
joy  and  sorrow  in  them   all.     I  qau   truthfully  say, 


blAKY.  299 

that  1  would  not  now  be  without  one  needed  stroke, 
or  one  hour  of  preparation  for  my  place  and  work  in 
the  heavenly  temple. 

"  '  As  hour  after  hour  passeth  by, 
Mark'd  by  its  own  peculiar  joy  or  woe, 
Which  Jesus  means  should  tell  upon  the  heart ; 
Behind  eacli  hour,  0  may  some  stroke  be  left, 
Made  for  eternity  upon  each  living  stone  I' 

How  miserable  one  would  be  rendered  throughout 
eternity,  if  it  were  possible  for  us  to  escape  some  try- 
ing part  of  our  discipline  here,  and  so  be  admitted 
there  with  some  hideous  deformity  which  should  mar 
our  symmetry  for  ever !  But  the  house  will  be  fin- 
ished in  all  its  parts — is  not  that  comforting  ?  even 
though  years  of  preparation  be  still  needed." 

In  her  Diary  she  writes:  ''Feb.  27.  Sun.—'VUQ 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all 
sin.'  Another  Sabbath  at  home;  read  Job  xix.  I 
feel  more  sure  than  ever  that  the  right  thing  is,  to 
take  each  sin,  the  moment  the  conscience  feels  it,  to 
the  blood  of  Jesus,  and,  there  having  it  '  once 
purged,'  to  remember  it  '  no  more.'  I  don't  think 
of  one  scxiptural  example  in  which  a  forgiven  sin  was 
charged  upon  the  conscience  a  second  time  by  God ; 
and  I  suppose  that  the  year's  sins  were  never  ex- 
pected to  be  again  brought  to  mind  after  the  scape- 
goat had  borne  them  away  into  the  land  of  forgetful- 
ness.  Oh !  for  grace  to  plunge  into  the  ocean  of ) 
Divine  forgiveness !" 

And,  somewhat  later,  she  writes  to  a  friend  thus  ; 


300  M  E  M  O  1  K     OF     A  .     L .     N  E  W  T  O  X. 

"  I  have  bad  no  time  for  any  drawing  since  1 
wrote  you,  save  hicroolyphics  ;  but  I  hope  to  return 
to  it  some  day,  if  I  live  still  on  this  lower  earth  and 
have  more  time  given  me  to  trade  with.  If  not,  1 
will  gladly  bid  it  all  farewell,  to  go  to  Jesus.  The 
world  is  in  a  most  critical  state ;  yet  how  sleepy 
Christians  are  !  I  almost  ventured  last  night  to  ask 
for  the  'north  wind'  to  blow  upon  me  ;  but,  at  all 
events,  I  do  exceedingly  want  the  '  south  wind.' 
I'm  afraid  Jesus  gets  no  sweet  fragrance  from  His 
garden." 

The  holy  Rutherford  once  remarked,  that  "  we 
might  beg  ourselves  rich,  if  we  could  but  hold  out 
our  withered  hands  to  Christ  and  learn  to  seek,  ask 
and  knock."  Dear  Adelaide  was  not  a  stranger  to 
this  heavenly  art.  "  I  have  had  such  enjoyment," 
she  writes,  "in  that  Psalm  (the ninety-ninth) — 'Wor- 
ship at  His  footstool ;'  exalting  Him,  prostrating  our- 
selves ;  and  then  His  holiness  the  great  theme, 
thrice  over  'for  He  is  holy!'  Is  it  not  like  putting 
into  our  mouths  on  earth  the  very  song  which  is 
sung  in  glory — '  Holy,  holy,  holy  V  I  cannot  imag- 
ine any  feeling  so  sweet  as  that  of  adoration;  it  seems 
so  to  iniply 

"  '  A  soul  at  leisure  from  itself,' 

to  think  of  God ;  His  holiness  filling,  as  it  were, 
our  souls,  so  as  to  banish,  for  the  time,  the  bitter- 
ness of  a  view  of  our  own  sinfulness,  and  giving  us 
the  most  intense  happiness.  It  is  but  transient 
tastes   of  it   which    I   get ;   still    I   hope   they  are 


"all   known    to    thee."  301 

earuests  of  the  fulness  of  it  when  God  '  fills  His 
temple'  so  that  sin  can  never  enter  to  interrupt  His 
worship." 

And  the  result  was  a  calm  self-possessed ness,  even 
amidst  increasing  trials.  "I  must  tell  you,"  she 
writes  again,  "  a  word  which  was  lighted  up  to  me 
the  otlier  day  by  what  you  call 

"  '  The  light  of  affliction's  fire.' 
It  was  a  dark  night-season  with  me,  through  some 
painful  outward  oircuinstances ;  and  oh  !  how  exqui- 
site that  word  of  Jesus  did  seem  to  me,  '  I  am  the 
bright  and  morning  star !'  I  looked  to  the  Greek 
word,  and  found  it  defined — '  lustrous,  dazzling,  shin- 
ing, resplendent ;' — the  very  darkness  added  to  its 
hrillianf-y.     And  is  it  not  so  with  Jesus?" 

Meditating  one  day  on  those  words,  "  When  my 
spirit  was  overwhelmed  within  me,  then  Thou  knew- 
est  my  path,"  she  poured  out  her  soul  in  these  plain- 
tive lines : — 

"  My  God,  whose  gracious  pity  I  may  daira, 
'  Calling  Thee  'Father,'  sweet  endearing  name  I 

The  suflferings  of  this  weak  and  weary  frame, 

All,  all  arc  known  to  Thee. 

"  From  human  eyes  'tis  better  to  conceal 
Much  that  I  suffer,  much  I  hourly  feel ; 
But  oh !  this  thought  doth  tranquillize  and  heal — 
All,  all  is  known  to  Thee. 

"  Nay,  all  by  Thee  is  ordered,  chosen,  planned ; 
Each  drop  that  fills  my  daily  cup  Thy  hand 
Prescribes,  for  ills  none  eUe  can  understand : 

All.  .ill  are  known  to  Thea 


302  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L ,     NEWTON. 

"The  fittest  moans  to  cure  what  I  deplore; 
In  me  Thy  longed-for  likeness  to  restore ; 
Self  to  dethrone,  and  let  it  rule  no  more  ; — 

All,  all  are  known  to  Thea 

"  Nor  will  the  bitter  draught  distasteful  prove, 
When  I  recal  the  Son  of  Thy  dear  love  ; 
The  cup  Thou  would'st  not  for  our  sake  remove, 

That  cup  He  drank  for  me  I 

'  And  welcome,  precious  can  His  Spirit  make 
My  little  drop  of  suffering  for  His  sake : 
Father !  the  cup  I  drink,  the  way  I  take ; 

All,  all  is  known  to  Thee." 


CHAPTER   XrX. 

Wordsworth,  in  his  "  Excursion,"  speaks  of  a 
cliild,  living  on  "  a  tract  of  inland  ground,"  who 
applied  to  his  ear  "  the  convolutions  of  a  smooth- 
lipped  shell." 

"  In  silence  hushed,  his  very  soul 
Listened  intently ;  and  his  countenance  soon 
Brightened  with  joy ;  for  murmurings  from  within 
Were  heard,  sonorous  cadences !  whereby 
To  his  belief  the  Monitor  expressed 
Mysterious  union  with  its  native  sea." 

Dear  Adelaide  is  now  approaching  her  heavenly 
home.  And  as  she  nears  it,  her  utterances  sound  in 
the  ear  of  faith  more  and  more  accurately  as  the 
"  cadences"  of  her  "  native  sea." 

In  her  Diary,  she  writes:  ''March  20  (1853). 
Sun.  Meditated  on  the  land  of  Beulah — so  sweet 
to  pilgrims  on  the  Sionward  way."  And  in  a  letter  : 
"  r)h  !  I  d«>  so  want  some  more  vivid  piercing  glances  ' 
through  the  lattice  !  Those  words  have  been  much 
on  my  mind  for  some  days — 'The  eyes  of  the  Lord 
run  to  and  fro  throughout  the  whole  earth  to  show 
Himself  strong  in  the  behalf  of  them  whose  heart  is 
perfect  towards  Him.'     They  'run' — from  Madeira, 


304  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTOX. 

to  Torquay,  and  to  Derby,  watching  each  person ; 
and  '  to  and  fro,'  backwards  and  forwards  !  it  almost 
annihilates  the  sense  of  distance,  does  it  not  ?" 

And  writing  to  another,  also  ncaring  home,  she 
says :  "  I  have  been  growing  up  into  your  cxpc- 
ricnce.  I  knew  very  little  of  conflict  when  I  saw 
you,  and  very  little  comparatively  of  sin.  The  last 
year  or  two  have  taught  me  much  ;  and,  painful  as 
it  has  been,  I  see  the  value  of  learning  it.  The 
struggles  of  the  inner  man  are  so  real — so  entirely 
God-ward  (for  man  sees  them  not),  that  one  seems 
by  degrees  to  learn  out  the  value  of  life  as  it  brings 
cue  into  contact  with  the  living  God !  Oh !  how 
blessed  it  will  be  when  it  is  all  life,  when  death  has 
'  no  more  dominion  !'  " 

And,  in  the  same  letter:  "I  have  thought  that 
hell  and  heaven  don't  occupy  us  enough.  It  does 
strike  me  so  very  much,  in  the  experience  of  the  few 
Christians  I  see  and  of  the  many  I  hear  from,  that 
there  is  such  a  tendency  to  rest  in  present  expe- 
rience and  in  all  the  daily  fluctuations  and  varia- 
tions, sins  and  infiraiitics,  soriows  and  trials,  which, 
after  all,  acquire  their  real  importance  only  through 
thoir  connexion  ■with  eternity.  There  is,  for  the 
most  part,  comparatively  little  realization  of  tho 
unseen — the  ultimate  carrying  out  of  all  these  'seen' 
things  to  their  certain  issue.  I  suppose  it  is  expe- 
rience one  must  come  to  by  degrees,  just  in  pro- 
portion, indeed,  as  one  nears  the  eternal  realities 
themselves.  The  nearer  one  gets  to  heaven,  the 
more   vividly   one  sees  what   holineos   is,  and,  as  a 


K  E  I.  I.  O  W  SHIP     WITH     JESUS.  305 

natural  result,  one  teels  the  more  wlint  sin  is  and 
what  it  loads  to  in  hell  ;  in  short,  it  just  coinos  to 
this,  that  we  have  more  of  the  n:ind  of  Christ  and 
see  more  in  God's  own  lio-ht.  And  how  entirely  one- 
ness of  heart  with  Him  is  what  one  sums  up  every 
desire  of  one's  heart  in,  is  it  not  ?" 

To  another  friend  she  writes :  "  Oh  !  how  I  do 
long  to  live  and  walk  in  real  personal  fellowship 
with  Jesus  all  the  day  long !  It  comforted  me 
very  much  some  days  ago,  in  reading  Matt,  xxvi.,  to 
see  how,  even  when  Jesus  was  personally  present, 
there  were  the  very  same  interruptions  to  communion 
which  we  have  now  in  spiritu:d  things.  Did  it  ever 
strike  you  how  remarkalily  this  was  the  case  in  the 
Sup|ier-ch amber,  when,  in  the  very  midst  of  that 
solemn,  sacred  feast,  they  were  interrupted  by  Judas 
getting  up  and  going  out  of  the  room  1  Such  breaks 
in  seasons  of  retirement  and  communion  seem  to  me 
to  say,  how  can  you  expect  to  go  through  any  ser- 
vice of  prayer  or  praise  without  interruption  ?  How 
often,  when  Jesus  went  to  be  alone,  He  was  inter- 
rupted !  and  we  are  not  greater  than  our  Lord." 

The  holy  Bolton  once  said — "  Oh  !  when  will  this 
good  hour  come  ?  When  shall  I  be  dissolved  ? 
When  shall  I  be  with  Christ  ?"  Another  lioly  man 
once  wrote — 

"  Should  not  the  exile,  Lord,  desire 
His  own  sweet  realm  to  see  ? 
The  bride  to  greet  ht-r  absent  Lord: 
The  pri'snnor  to  bo  freo  ? 


306  M  E  M  U  I  11     Of      A  .     L .      N  E  W  TON. 

"  When  we,  amid  this  stormy  world. 
Feel  like  the  homeless  dove, 
We  would  iu  spirit  spread  the  wing, 
To  flee  to  thee  wo  love." 

Dear  Adelaido  was  beginning  to  long  more  and  more 
intensely  for  her  Home.  "  I  was  thinking  last 
night,"  she  writes,  April  13  (1853),  "  of  the  words — 
'  Humble  yourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God, 
that  lie  may  exalt  you  in  due  time.'  There  is  no 
such  'exaltation'  as  going  to  be  with  Him.  I  do 
often  wonder  if  the  time  is  near  for  that.  I  shall 
not  mind  this  humiliation,  if  it  is  the  prelude  to 
that  honour.  I  most  fully  agree  with  what  you  say 
about  '  time.'  I  believe  waiting  is  quite  as  much  a 
part  of  our  serving  as  any  active  work  might  be,  and 
that  it  is  the  acting  of  the  Spirit,  and  not  of  the  flesh, 
which  tells." 

And,  in  another  letter,  she  says :  "  Every  one 
seems  to  think  me  well  or  nearly  so,  except  mvself; 
but  I  don't  feel  it,  and  therefore  don't  believe  it. 
Perhaps  I  am  unwilling  to  believe.  Indeed,  I  can- 
not be  contented  to  be  down  here,  though  I  do  try  to 
say 'As  thou  wilt' about  it.  And  God  chooses  to 
exercise  me  by  keeping  me  abiding  still  here  in  the 
flesh.  One  thing  I  know — Jesus  will  have  me,  when- 
ever He  chooses,  to  be  with  Him  where  He  is.  And 
you,  too !" 

Other  pilgrim-experiences  she  gives  thus :  "  I  do 
long  for  some  face-to-face  communion,  if  the  Lord 
Jesus  will  sweeten  it  by  filling  us  both  with  His 
Spirit,  and  then  drawing  near  Himself  to  share  our 


•r  H  !•;    sEKAiiiiM.  307 

joy."     And,  alluding  to  ;i  visit  from  the  Rev.  Mr. 

T ,  of  Rugby  :    "I  saw  very  little  of  him  ;    but 

that  little  was  enough  to  excite  mutual  interest  on 
various  subjects.  I  can't  tell  you  how  strange  these 
momentary  catches  at  Christian  intercourse  and 
friendship  seem  to  me.  How  they  explain  that 
this  is  'a  time-state,'  and  that  we  are  finite  crea- 
tures, 'pilgrims  and  sojourners,'  meeting  only  to 
part  again — everything,  in  fact,  being  only  '  in  part.' 
I  do  long  for  this  '  in  part'  state  to  be  '  done  away,' 
and  the  '  perfect'  to  coine.  And  yet  how  many 
enjoyments  peculiar  to  itself  belong  to  it !"  And 
again :  "  I  do  so  like  the  ups  and  downs,  and  all 
the  sudden  transitions,  in  the  Psalms.  They  used 
to  trouble  me,  as  if  they  disturbed  the  beauty  of  the 
piissage  ;  but  now  I  seem  so  to  enter  into  them." 
And  elsewhere  :  "  Lately  I  have  found  such  com- 
fort from  the  type  of  the  '  red  heifer,'  as  the  special 
provision  made  for  our  Viildcrness journey  when  we 
get  conliimally  defiled  and  want  re-admission  (if  I 
may  use  such  a  word)  into  holv  communion  in  the 
holy  place.  Amidst  our  unceasing  re-commission 
of  sin  every  moment,  should  not  we  make  instant 
application  afresh  to  the  cleansing  blood  of  Jesus, 
and  so  keep  our  conscience  purged  moment  by 
moment  V 

The  sera])him — those  emblems  of  redeemed  sin- 
ners in  glory — use  two  of  their  six  wings  in  service  ; 
but  with  four  of  the  wings  they  cover  their  feet  and 
their  ficis.  Writing  to  Mrs.  C W ,  Ade- 
laide says:  '' I  have  been  s?nt   down   into  the  valley 


808  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     XEWTON. 

of  humiliation  lately,  in  a  way  which  makes  me  feel 
for  you.  I  have  just  seemed  tt)  go  from  one  depth  to 
another,  till  I  have  felt  sometimes  ready  to  lay  me 
down  '  as  the  ground  and  as  the  street'  for  others 
to  walk  over.  IIow  little  young  Christians  know  of 
self-abasement  or  '  self-sacrifiee  !'  Those  are  tremen- 
dous words,  are  they  not  ?  I  often  feel  like  a  sacrifice, 
bound  indeed  to  the  horns  of  the  altar,  but  shrinking 
from  tlie  flame  which  comes  to  consume  the  sacrifice. 
However,  Jesus  will  take  care  that  His  Father  is 
glorified,  in  spile  of  all  our  crying  while  the  rod  is  in 
His  hand.  That  thought  often  comforts  me.  And  I 
was  thinking  this  week  that  it  is  really  a  privilege  to 
be  in  His  furnace  at  all;  for  it  is  not  intended  for 
reprobate  silver,  but  only  for  choice  gold ;  and  if  we 
were  not  His  choice  gold,  we  should  not  have  been 
put  in  there." 

This  "  housenlevil,"  self  (as  Rutlierfurd  calls  it), 
was  exorcised,  not  by  midancholy  mopings  over  her 
own  heart,  but  by  a  steadfast  contemplation  of  Christ. 
"  I  want  God,"  she  writes,  "  to  have  quite  entirely 
His  own  way  with  me,  and  to  be  uninfluenced  in 
wishing  anything  for  myself.  I  have  been  thinking 
to-day  of  Jesus  as  the  '  burnt-ofiering,'  Mr.  Jukes 
says, '  Everything  He  did  or  said  was  for  God.  Fiom 
first  to  la-st,  self  had  no  place  ;  His  Father's  work, 
His  Father's  will,  was  everything.'  'J'liere  is  no  joy 
so  great  as  sharing  the  Father's  delight  in  Jesus. 
How  wonderful  it  will  he  hereafter,  will  it  not  I  '  My 
beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.'  *  Mine 
Elect,  in  whom  my  soul  deliglitefh  !'  and   the  Otfer 


SOUL-NAKEDNESS.  300 

ing  in  which  God  could  and  did  find  pleasure.  \A'hat 
a  very  sustaining  thought  it  must  have  been  to  Jesus, 
to  feel  so  sure  as  He  did  that  He  always  did  those 
things  which  pleased  the  Father!  I  tliink  it  must 
have  been  that  which  carried  Him  through  those 
hours  of  tremendous  endurance  on  the  cross ;  for  He 
would  know,  even  then,  that  He  was  doing  His  Fath- 
er's will  in  enduring  His  Father'3  nghleous  displea- 
sure. And,  though  it  could  not  allor  the  agony,  or 
create  joy,  it  could  sustain  Him.  Oh  !  how  delight- 
ful it  must  be  to  Hiin  now,  to  look  back  and  see 
how  peifoctly  He  pleased  His  Father,  and  how 
beautifully  He  executed  His  work  as  His  righteous 
Servant  I 

"  Don't  you  think,"  she  adds,  "  we  might  be  much 
happier,  it'  we  pleaded  all  Christ's  holy  obedience  as 
our  own,  and  learned  to  know  ourselves  as  really 
welcome  and  v.- ell-pleasing  to  our  Father  in  Him  ?  I 
was  struck  with  this  in   the  texts  I  am  scndinnf  on 

o 

Rev.  iii.  18 — that  He  would  liave  us  clothed,  so  that 
the  shame  of  oui-  nakedness  '  do  not  appear.'  Does 
it  not  mean  that  He  would  liave  us  lose  the  conscious- 
ness of  that  nakedness  of  soul  which  sin  brings  with 
it,  just  as.  when  He  clothed  Adam  and  Eve  with 
skins,  they  would  not  need  any  longer  to  hide  them- 
selves through  shame  ?  And,  if  we  were  '  hot'  and 
zealous,  instead  of  cold  and  lukewarm,  we  should 
really  get  all  those  blessings  which  He  offers  us 
— riches,  clothing  and  eyesight; — wealth  to  traffic 
with  spiritually  ;  beauty  which  Jesus  could  admire 
(as  He  so  often  did  in   Solomon's  Song,  when  ever 


310  MKMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON'. 

one  chain  of  tliG  neck  could  nivish  Him);  and  eye- 
sight for  ourselves  to  see  the  King  in  His  beauty  ? 
I  cannot  wish  you  more  precious  things  than  these, 
can  I  ?  But  I  try  to  pray  that  they  may  all  be  yours 
abundantly." 

Another  interesting  glimpse  into  her  hidden  life 
is  given  elsewhere,  thus :  "  Lately  I  liave  felt  such 
an  indescribable  apathy  come  over  me  ;  but  I  believe 
bodily  debility  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  it.  How- 
ever, in  spite  of  all  these  clogs  and  hindrances  to 
fellowship  with  the  Father  and  with  His  Son,  I  often 
get  such  precious  foretastes  of  heavenly  realities  as 
only  make  me  impatient  to  '  be  swallowed  up  of  life' 
(how  strange  that  that  should  be  '  death  !'  but  I 
suppose,  in  2  Cor.  v.,  it  lefeis  rather  to  the  resurrec- 
tion-morning). And  I  have  a  more  realizing  feeling 
of  nearing  the  haven,  by  every  passing  hour,  than  I 
ever  liad  before.  But  do  pray  f  >r  mo,  that  this  nat- 
ural self  may  die  and  Christ  live  in  me." 

And  she  adds  :  "  Have  you  read  the  '  Memoir  of 
Emma  Maurice  V  I  have  been  so  struck  by  her 
prayers  that  she  might  be  '  crushed'  and  Christ  glo- 
rified. Could  you  ask  that?  I  like  many  of  he." 
letters  and  prayers  so  'very  much,  especially  one  oa 
'  Freeness  of  grace' — like  a  crown  set  upon  its  '  ful- 
ness.' Free,  in  spite  of  all  our  coldness  and  despe- 
rate sinfuhiess  as  Christians !  I  have  learned  to 
prize  the  '  searching  scrutiny  of  God.'  " 

The  summer  brought  with  it  oidy  increasing 
weakness.  "The  main  feeling  I  have  had  for  many 
months,"  she  writes,  May  20  (185.3)   "is  as  if  I  were 


"a    o  l  I  m  p  s  t;    \v  I  r  Ji  I  x    t  ii  k    vail  ."     3 1  1 

worn  out  by  lengthened  illness.  I  have  none  of  the 
energy  I  used  t^?  have ;  and  I  find  it  very,  very  hum- 
bling,"  And  to  another :  "  I  often  weary  to  be  gone  ; 
and  the  '  little  while'  seems  long.  But,  as  Mr.  Stow- 
ell  was  saying  to  me,  the  thing,  after  all,  is,  to  be 
brought  to  say,  '  Not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done.'  I 
suppose  seven  years  of  illness  must  wear  one  out,  in 
some  measure,  and  damp  one's  spirits  ;  but  '  the  joy 
of  the  Lord'  can  soon  raise  one  up  again,  if  He  sees 
one  can  bear  it.  I  trust  you  are  full  of  peace,  and 
joy,  and  hope." 

And  some  weeks  later  she  says  :  "  I  have  been 
feeling  how  unreasonable  it  is  for  me  to  wonder  that, 
after  seven  years  of  illness  and  so  much  jcn',  tliere 
should  be  now  that  wearing  down  of  one's  energies 
which  I  have  felt  so  much.  However,  I  am  better 
of  this ;  and  I  think  I  shall  soon  be  able  to  look 
back  upon  it  as  a  very  valuable  passage  in  my  wil- 
derness-journey. I  had  a  precious  glimpse  within 
the  vail  on  Saturday.  I  could  only  think  of  the 
words,  'The  King  hath  brought  me  into  His 
chambers  ;'  and  these  words  came  home  to  me  as 
full  of  sweetness,  '  Sing  unto  Him,  sing  ])salms  unto 
Him,'  as  if  it  were  enough  for  the  soul  to  sing  for 
Him  alone  to  hear.  Can  I  give  you  the  idea  I  had 
about  it  ?  like  singing  for  Jesus,  as  one  would  do  for 
some  very  dear  friend  who  took  pleasure  in  listening 
to  one.  He  does  say,  '  Let  me  hear  tliy  voice.'  I 
want  you  to  pray  that  I  may  have  the  joy  of  His 
salvation  fully  restored  to  me,  or,  rather,  moie  than 
restored.     T  want  to  have  it  so  as  T  never  had  it  b«»- 


312  MEMOIli     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

fore.  I  want  to  be  a  burning  liglit — a  sacrifice  ae- 
(■ending  up  with  a  brilliant  flame  of  fire." 

And  again  :  "  I  have  been  a-begging  to  Him ;  but 
I  should  like  to  lake  you  with  me,  and  let  us  urge 
each  other  on  to  grow  bolder  and  more  urgent,  and 
to  vie,  as  it  were,  with  each  other,  and  see  which  can 
get  most — to  be  more  Christ-like — to  see  how  much 

we  can  get  for  each  other.    Oh  !  my  precious  L , 

how  my  heart  clings  to  the  remembrance  of  days 
when  we  have  had  Jesus  with  us,  warming  our 
hearts  whilst  we  talked  with  Him.  I  was  thinking 
last  night  of  Enoch — how  like  a  '  burnt  otTcring'  he 
was,  his  whole  life  consecrated  to  God, '  walking  with 
God  !'  and  then,  how  literally  an  ascension,  being 
*  translated  !'  God  '  took  him' — himself — his  whole 
self !  How  l)eautiful,  is  it  not  ?  I  don't  think  there 
is  anything  like  it  in  the  Bible,  save  his  Master." 

Like ""  Christian"  emerging  from  the  "  Valley  of 
the  Shadow  of  Death,"  she  now  could  say,  "  His 
candle  shineth  on  my  head,  and  by  His  light  I  go 
through  darkness."  And,  like  the  Pilgrim,  looking 
back  upon  "  the  dangers  of  her  solitary  way,"  she 
writes :  "  I  never  had  gone  through  anything  like 
this  before.  Hell-deserving  I  had  indeed  often  felt 
myself  to  he  ;  but  tliis  was  as  if  I  had  liellishucss  in 
my  very  nature.  I  seemed  as  if  I  could  not  love ; 
and  the  only  words  which  suited  me  were  those  of 
Peter,  '  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O 
Lord.'  I  could  only  be  thankful  that,  in  spiie  of  it 
all,  I  could  not  but  continue  on  my  knees  before  the 
throne  of  grace,  expecting  deliverance  in  due  season. 


CONCEPTION'      AND     FAITH.  313 

and  that  I  never  seemed  able  for  a  moment  to  disbe- 
lieve my  adoption  and  my  right  to  call  God  '  my 
God.'  How  precious  the  very  struggle  is  betwixt 
the  new  man  and  the  old  !  It  at  least  proves  that 
the  '  strong  man  armed'  is  not  keeping  '  his  goods' 
in  peace.  And  such  abasing  of  self,  too,  is  the 
means  God  has  used  for  preparing  me  to  '  see  greater 
things.'  It  is  just  the  way  He  dealt  with  Daniel  and 
with  Isaiah,  is  it  not  ?" 

And,  in  another  letter,  she  adds :  "  I  was  in  dan- 
ger of  being  '  exalted  above  measure  ;'  and,  in  answer 
to  my  own  prayers,  I  was  laid  low,  and  have  been 
kept  low.  I  have  found  out  many  precious  things 
by  it.  which  I  know  I  could  not  have  learned  in  a 
happier  state  of  mind ;  and  I  am  really  and  honestly 
thankful,  though  one  cannot  help  longing  to  be  full 
of  light,  and  life,  and  love." 

And  again  :  "  My  greatest  trouble  has  been  from 
g  iug  on  day  after  day  without  any  of  what  Dr. 
Chalmers  calls  'conception;'  for  faith  may  be  in 
strong  exercise  whilst  we  are  all  in  the  dark,  as  it 
were,  from  want  of  conception— not  being  able  to 
realize  the  countenance  and  smile  of  Jesus,  though 
knowing  assuredly  all  the  while  that  it  was  tlu-re  un- 
changed if  we  could  but  see  it.  The  idea  I  found  in 
the  forty-third  Psalm  one  day,  greatly  to  my  delight. 
You  remember  how  David  calls  God  there  his  '  ex- 
ceeding joy,'  at  the  very  moment  when  his  soul  was 
so  'cast  down.'  He  was  fully  conscious  that  God 
was  that  to  him  ;  and  yet  at  the  time  he  had  no 
happy  consciousness  of  the  truth  in  his  own  expe- 
27 


314  M  E  SI  O  I  K     OF     A ,     L .     NEWTON. 

rience.  Is  it  not  so  exactly  what  one  often  feels 
one's-self?" 

Bishop  Ridley  once  remarked  that  the  walls  and 
trees  of  his  orchard,  could  they  speak,  would  bear 
■witness  that  there  he  had  learned  by  heart  almost  all 
the  Epistles,  and  that  of  the  study  he  should  carry 
the  sweet  savour  with  him  to  heaven.  "To  get 
deeper  into  any  of  God's  thoughts,"  writes  dear 
Adelaide  "is  so  sublimating.  You  can't  think  what 
longings  I  have  had  for  a  sight  of  Jesus  lately  ;  faith 
does  not  in  the  least  satisfy  me.  I  know,  indeed, 
there  is  a  heaven  of  communion  to  be  enjoyed  even 
on  earth.  How  very  beautifully  one  sees  it  in  Cant, 
i.  4  and  iii.  4  taken  together — Jesus  bringing  His 
bride  '  into  His  chambers,'  and  she  bringing  Him 
into  hers;  both  unlocking,  as  it  were,  the  innermost 
recesses  of  the  inner  man,  to  admit  each  other  into 
the  very  closest  intimacy  which  language  can  con- 
vey an  idea  of — Jesus  entering  into  the  soul,  and  the 
Boul  entering  into  Jesus !  But  if  we  can  taste  such 
exquisite  sweetness  of  delight  when  we  get  into  Hia 
chambers  now  by  faith,  what  will  it  be  to  be  with 
Him  bodily  and  for  ever  ?" 

And,  again  looking  back  along  the  way  by  which 
she  has  been  led,  she  writes :  "  I  am  so  glad  to  hear 
you  say  you  have  had  more  rest  in  Jesus  of  late.  It 
is  just  the  one  thing  that  I  think  I  can  say  I  have 
had.  It  has  certainly  not  been  resting  in  enjoyments, 
or  in  outward  ease,  but  just  simply  turning  from  all 
these  to  seek  and  find  it  in  Jesus  only.  It  is  not 
any  one  thing  which  ha.s  tned  me ;  it  seems  to  rae 


"the    potters    H  O  U  b  e  ."  315 

more  tlie  living  over  again  of  David's  life.  I  am  so 
exceedingly  struck,  in  reading  through  Samuel,  with 
the  coinplicafion  of  his  trials,  the  one  folUowing  so 
upon  another,  and  so  little  peace  between.  Such  a 
picture  of  our  experiene,  don't  you  think?  I  was 
thinking  yesterday  how  remarkable  it  was  tliat 
through  that  experience  he  was  enabled  to  write  the 
Psalms,  a  book  which  one  like  Solomon  could  never 
have  written.  So  there  must  be  Davids  now;  and  I 
believe  we  who  know  most  of  the  reality  of  such  ex- 
periences, will  enter  most  deeply  into  the  praises  of 
eternity." 

And  the  same  letter,  thus  :  "  What  lessons  we 
may  learn  in  the  '  Potter's  liouse !'  (Jer.  xviii.  1-6.) 
I  have  taken  the  re-making  of  the  marred  vessel,  in 
reference,  first,  to  our  bodies,  then  to  our  souls,  and 
then  to  the  earth.  It  is  very  striking  to  my  own 
mind,  that  the  word  used,  in  Gen.  ii.  7,  Isa.  xHii.  V, 
xliv.  2,  21,  or  Ps.  cxxxix,  15,  16,  of  the  forming  or 
fashioning  of  the  body,  is  (he  very  same  word  which 
describes  the  operations  of  a  potter ;  and  the  same 
is  true  of  the  spirit  in  Ps.  xxxiii.  15,  2^ch.  xii.  1 ; 
and  also,  I  think,  of  the  earth,  in  Isa.  xlv.  18 — 
'formed'  it.  All  three  are  'marred'  by  sin;  yet  all 
three  are  renewed  or  re-made  by  the  Heavenly  Pot- 
ter. And  I  was  struck  with  the  expression,  '  the 
vessel  was  marred  in  the  hand  of  the  j)otter,'  as  if 
Jesus  lets  nothing  fall  out  of  Ilis  hands,  but  simply 
keeps  the  vessel,  even  when  marred,  until  it  is  re- 
made.     Oh,  how  I  long  for  a   yielding,  clay-like 


310  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

spirit  I  '  Learn  of  mo,  fur  I  am  meek  aiul  lowly  in 
heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest,'  How  fully  one  knows, 
that  so  soon  as  a  real  lowliness  of  spirit  fills  one's 
heart  towards  God,  a  calm  steals  over  one,  in  place 
of  the  agitation  of  the  troubled  waves  of  n-bellious- 
ness  of  will !  Oh,  how  my  will  has  distracted  me 
these  last  few  months ! — ^but  I  believe  God  could  de- 
tect the  'new  man'  ever  saying  'Not  my  will'  even 
when  I  could  only  discern  the  workings  of  the  'old 
man'  in  myself  struggling  for  the  mastery." 

A  thought  on  Resurrection  she  gives  to  a  bereaved 
friend  thus  :  "  I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  have  delighted 
in  the  thought  of  every  seed  having  '  its  own  body' 
lately.  I  never  liked  what  some  people  lay  so  much 
stress  upon — each  particle  of  dust  which  forms  these 
vile  earthly  bodies  being  gathered  together  and  raised  : 
the  expression, '  Thou  fool !  thou  sowest  not  that  body 
that  shall  be,'  seems  quite  to  contradict  it,  to  my  mind. 
But  every  seed  will  have  its  own  body,  and  be  in- 
stantly recognized,  just  as  each  plant  now  is  known 
from  the  seed  that  was  sown.  And  is  there  not  food 
for  precious  contemplation  in  that  ?" 

The  Lord's  "appearing"  she  watched  for  with  a 
new  longing.  "I  have  many  times,"  she  writes, 
"  thought  of  your  question,  '  What  are  the  signs 
now  which  warrant  the  expectation  of  the  imineliate 
coming  of  our  Lord  V  I  always  feel  that  the  pe- 
culiarity of  the  signs  of  the  present  day  consists 
chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  in  the  movement  amongst  the 
Jews.     But  do  you  not  think  that,  in  order  to  a  real 


C  II  K  I  S  T '  i^      COMING.  fill 

expectation  of  Christ's  comitiLj^  nt  ;my  lioiir,  we  rnusst 
give  up  the  idea  of  not  seeing  Ilim  until  all  the  signs 
are  accomplished  and  He  stands  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives  in  the  Holy  Land,  as  in  Zech.xiv.  ?  I  have 
been  driven  to  this." 


■iV 


CHAPTER    XX. 

JThe  poet  Spenser,  himself  not  a  stranger  to  the 
mysteries  of  the  inner  life,  once  wrote — 

"  The  soul's  dark  cottage,  shattered  and  decayed, 
Lets  in  new  light  through  chinks  which  time  has  made." 

Dear  Adelaide's  "  dark  cottiige"  was  gradually  decay- 
ing. At  the  end  of  August  (1853),  her  cough  grew 
worse  ;  and  we  find  her  physician  *'  warning  her  that 
it  would  be  serious  if  not  checked.'',  ''  0(  this,"  she 
herself  writes,  "  I  feel  perfectly  conscious ;  I  am 
very  low  and  poorly."  But  a  new  joy  filled  her  soul. 
"  Perhaps,"  she  said  one  day,  to  a  fi'iend  who  was 
leaving  her,  "the  next  time  we  meet,  it  may  be  with 
Jesus."  "  I  never  shall  forget,"  says  that  friend,  "  the 
heavenly  smile  which  beamed  in  lier  features  as  she 
spoke." 

And  wnting  to  the  Hon.  Mrs.  C ,  she  says  : 

"  T  have  seen  more  of  Jesus  lately  than  ever  before. 
There  is  something  overpowering  beyond  expression 
to  my  mind  in  seeing  anything  of  Ilis  intense  holi- 
ness and  perfectness.  I  could  not  endure  it,  I  am 
certain,  if  it  were  not  for  knowing  that  that  very  life 
wa5  lived   for  me,  in  my   stead,  and  as   my  right- 


''  N  O  V,'     C  C)  M  K     I     T  O      1  II  i:  K  ."  319 

eousncss  and  sanctificalion.  One  passage  which  has 
come  with  special  power  to  me  about  Him  is  John 
xvii.  Up  to  that  hour  He  had  gone  on  in  uncom- 
plaining silence,  excejit  as  from  time  to  time  He  had 
let  drop  expressions  which  plainly  told  all  He  was 
feeling,  as  in  Ps.  xxxv.  17,  '  Lord,  how  long  wilt  thou 
look  on  ?'  or  in  Luke  xii.  50,  '  How  am  I  restrained  ?' 
But  no  sooner  was  the  time  come,  than  His  delight 
broke  forth  as  (in  ver.  1)  He  'lifted  up  His  eyes  and 
said,  Father,  the  hour  is  come  !'  Who  can  imagine 
the  depths  of  untold  sati^faction  with  which  He 
must  have  burst  forth  Avith  those  words  towards  His 
Father  ?  as  if  His  spirit  were  ready  to  bound  towards 
Him  the  instant  it  might  I  And  then  He  goes  on  to 
say  (v.  11-13),  in  His  own  most  exquisite  way,  'And 
now  I  am  no  more  in  the  world' — '  and  now  come  I 
to  thee.'  Is  there  not  something  exquisite  in  that  ? 
Oh !  I  think  God  the  Father  must  have  hstened  to 
it  with  such   supreme  delight  (as  in  Prov.  xxiii.  15, 

"And  then,"  she  proceeds,  "if  one  looks  at  Hira 
in  John  xii.  27,  28,  and  for  one  single  moment 
hears  Him  ready  to  say,  in  the  anguish  of  His  soul, 
'  Fatber,  siive  me  from  this  hour' — how  instantly  He 
sets  aside  the  wish  with  the  words,. 'But  for  this 
cause  came  I  unto  this  hour ;'  and  then  quite,  as  it 
were,  triumphing  over  self  altogether.  He  makes 
this  His  real  prayer,  '  Father,  glorify  thy  name  i' 
learning,  through  that  very  experience,  to  be  able  at 
last  (o  testify,  '  I  ha\  e  glorified  thee  on  the  earth.' 
I  can't  write  down  what  this  reveals  to  nie  of  what 


'J20  M  K  M  O  I  11     OF     A  .      L .     S  K  \V  1  O  N . 

He  felt ;  but  you  will  uiuleistand  ii  all  for  yourself, 
and  I  know  you  will  enjoy  it  as  I  do.  Oh  !  tlie  com- 
fort I  have  found  in  usinn^  TIi«  words  !  it  has  been  so 
veiy  precisely  what  I  wanted.  You  can  imagine  how 
precious  it  has  been,  though  it  has  cost  me  many 
bitter  tears.  How,  without  such  bitterness,  could 
one  long  to  say  with  Him,  'Save  me  from  this  hour?' 
but  when  '  the  hour'  is  really  '  come,'  won't  it  l>e 
glorious  ?  to  be  '  no  more  in  the  world  !'  to  come  to 
the  Father !" 

And  she  adds :  "  Another  passnge  is  Matt.  wi. 
21-27.  The  margin  of  verse  22  struck  me  first, 
'Pity  thyself,  Lord.'  It  was  such  a  natural  outburst 
of  kindly  feeling  from  Peter's  affectionate  he;irt ;  and 
yet,  just  because  it  was  natural,  and  savoured  of  man, 
it  was  so  offensive  to  Jesus  that  He  could  not  bear 
it.  Does  it  not  wonderfully  reveal  the  quick  discern- 
ment of  Jesus?  Knowing  that  it  became  God  to 
make  Him  jierfect  through  sufferings,  He  would  not 
tolerate  the  idea  of  evading  those  sufferings  for  one 
moment.  'The  cup  which  my  Father  hath  given 
me,  shall  I  not  drink  it?'  Don't  you  think  there  is 
a  wonderful  unfolding  of  His  perfectness  in  the 
shrinking  He  h;id  from  pitying  Himself?  and  then, 
with  all  these  thoughts  and  feelings  fresh  in  His  own 
mind,  how  one  seems  to  understand  what  He  meant 
when  He  turned  and  said  that  if  any  man  would 
follow  Him,  so  far  fiom  pityiisg,  he  must  deny  him- 
self! I  suppose  you  had  often  traced  out  the  con- 
nexion between  thrse  two  things.  I  never  had  seen 
it  before.     And    I   have  just  been   so   much   struck 


"VAILS."  321 

with  the  Transdural  ion  lollnwiiig  it,  Di<l  it  ever 
strike  you  that  the  very  subject  Peter  so  recoiled 
from  was  the  very  theme  which  Moses  ami  Elias 
talked  over  with.  Jesus  ? — they  '  spake  of  Ilis  de- 
cease.' Probably  that  was  the  only  time  on  earth 
that  He  was  ever  able  to  speak  freely  of  His  death 
to  any  one  who  understood  about  it ;  and  can't 
you  imaccine  it  to  have  been  exceedingly  comforting 
to  Him  i" 

Other  vails,  besides  the  "  dark  cottage,"  hide  the 
glory  of  Christ.  "  I  know,"  she  writes,  Oct.  13,  to 
one  who  had  been  smitten  with  a  sore  bereavement, 
"  you  will  be  finding  out  some  fresh  recesses  in  His 
heart  of  love,  now  that  this  vail  of  flesh  is  rent 
asunder  which  hitherto  has  been  as  a  curtain  to 
conceal  them  ft-om  you.  Oh  !  that  both  of  us  jnay 
be  enabled  to  penetrate  ieeper  into  Jesus,  and  learn 
all  the  beauties  which  our  tear-dimmed  eyes  can 
discern,  while  we  seem  drawn  within  the  very 
threshold  of  that  glory  into  which  the  happy  spirit 
lias  entered." 

And  another  veil  is  a  ruffled  spirit.  "I  never  re- 
member," she  writes,  "having  felt  so  irritable  before. 
How  trying  it  is  !  I  have  been  exactly  what  Cant.  i. 
7  (marg.)'says,  'as  one  that  is  vailed.'  How  charac- 
teristic of  the  book  that  expression  is — is  it  not  ? 
The  Bride  not  imagining  for  a  moment  that  Jesus  is 
changed,  but  truthfully  owning  that  she  cannot  see 
Him'rightly !" 

And  another  vail  is  external  ease.  "It  does  me 
crood  to  Ve  made  at  times  uncomfortable  outwardly — 


322  M  K  M  O  I  R     OF     A  .     L.     N  K  \V  T  O  N  . 

it  unscltles  ine  from  my  earthly  home,  wliere  one  is 
so  apt  to  settle  so  unconsciously."  And  she  adds  : 
"  Don't  you  think  there  is  such  a  difference  in  the 
very  way  one  says  '  0  Lord,'  at  one  time  and  at  an- 
other ?  One  day,  it  may  be  with  a  vague  and  general 
assurance  that  there  is  a  God  to  whom  one  speaks 
and  looks.  At  another  time,  one's  very  heart  seems 
to  go  forth  to  the  Person  one  looks  to,  as  to  one's 
<learest  and  most  intimate  of  friends — a  Father,  a 
Maker,  or  our  Jehovah." 

In  her  Diary,  she  writes:  '■'■  May  14  (1853). — 
Cocker  died  about  seven  a.m.,  to  enter  into  the  pre- 
sence of  Jesus.  The  first-fruits  (to  me)  of  the  Rag- 
ged School.  Oh,  to  pray  for  a  large  harvest  to  fol- 
low !"  '■'■June  r,  Sun. — Was  very,  very  tired  all  day, 
and  only  felt  at  the  Lord's  Table  what  a  miracle  of 
mercy  it  will   be  for  me  to  be   found  in   heaven  I" 

'•'■Jane  22. — M was  transplanted  to  the  garden 

of  Jesus  in  glory.  From  the  very  commencement 
of  her  illness  .-Le  used  to  speak  of  going  to  Jesus, 
and    seemed    quite    aware   slie    was    going,   sajnng, 

'  M going  to  the  blue   sky.'     She   liked  of  all 

things  for  H  -  !o  talk  to  her  about  it,  and  would 
smile  sometimes  at  this  when  nothing  else  moved 
her."  ''July  1  1.— Sent  Dr.  Bonar  'Teriible  Things 
in  Righteousness'  "  (article  for  "  Quarteily  Journal  of 
Prophecy").  '' Auy.  6. — Finished  the  rough  copy  of 
article  un  Solor  .r.'s  Song  for  Dr.  Bonar." 

And  again:  " Auy.  15. — Dr.  Bonar  came  at  seven 
P.M.  He  jnoih  ^eti  to  read  my  'Hebrews'  if  I  would 
do  it,  and  bade  n^*^  consider  myself  pledged  to  do  it 


DIARY.  323 

Is  this   God's  certain   token   to  me   of    His  will  ?" 

^Aug.  29. — Dr. said  my  cough  was  becoming 

serious.      Mrs.  B and   the  Rev.  C B 

came ;  he  talkeil  of  Solomon's  Song,  and  prayed 
with  us."  "  Sejjt.  27. — INIr.  B  -  came,  and  stayed 
nearly  two  hours  with  me  :  he  talked  of  Jesus;  Cant. 
I.  5;  ii.  17,  18;  iv.  6,  7;  vi.  11,  12."  ''Nov.  15.— 
Irish  Church  Missions  Meeting.  Saw  Mr.  Bickersteth." 

"■Dec.  11,  Sun. — Mr.  Dallas  preached  at  St.  A 

on  Rom.  viii.  26,  27,  and  afterwai-ds  gave  it  to  me 
alone,  and  prayed  with  me." 

At  the  end  of  October,  her  illness  so  much  in- 
creased that  she  never  again  was  out  of  doors.  But, 
with  a  singular  energy,  she  devoted  herself  during  her 
remaining  months  to  her  work  on  the  Hebrews. 
And  the  Lord  seemed  to  use  it  for  teaching  her  new 
lessons  as  she  hastened  forward  to  her  home,  "  He- 
brews has  shown  me  so  much,"  was  her  remark  one 
day  towards  the  close,  "  what  sin  is,  by  what  it  cost 
— I  owe  it  so  much  !  Oh  !  it  has  been  well  worth 
any  suffering,  to  learn  out  of  it  the  need  of  Christ's 
salvation  by  what  sin  is.  There  is  no  reality  in  your 
religion,  at  least  no  depth  of  reality,  till  you  have 
learned  in  this  way  for  yourself.  It  makes  mc  feel 
that  we  don't  enter  into  the  hundredth,  nor  the  thou- 
sandth, nor  the  millionth  part  of  what  there  is  for  us 
in  Christ,  or  we  could  not  live  as  we  do." 

And  another  lesson  which  it  taught  her,  she  indi- 
cates :  "  I  cannot  do  Hebrews — I  am  so  humbled  over 
it  still.  I  seem  to  have  no  power  to  touch  it.  How 
(dependent  we  are  upon   God — are   we  not  ?     1  have 


824  M  K  M  O  I  K     O  t      A  .     L .     N  li  W  T  0  -V  . 

not  a  word  to  say  till  lie  opens  my  lips;  and  I  feel 
as  if  He  had  laid  me  doAvn  with  my  face  on  the 
ground,  and  as  if  I  must  wait  till  His  hand  touched 
me,  and  sot  nie  on  my  feet  again.  It  is  worse  than 
useless  to  tiy  to  do  anything  in  my  own  weakness  (I 
need  not  call  it  '  strength.')" 

And  again  :  "  Solitude  and  isolation  drove  me  to 
Jesus  a-s  my  Beloved  One,  at  the  time  I  did  Solo- 
mon's Song.  And  bitter  lessons  of  sin  in  myself 
and  in  those  about  me,  which  deepen  almost  every 
day  and  hour,  seem  to  be  my  necessary  portion,  ere 
I  can  understand  what  Jesus  is  as  my  High  Priest." 
And  elsewhere  slie  adds :  "  How  intensely  interesting 
the  later  discipline  of  God's  people  is — that  self-pros- 
tration !  It  is  the  thing  I  feel  youngest  in,  of  any  in 
the  Christian  life." 

Her  sympathies  with  the  afflicted,  too,  were  kin- 
dled into  a  new  vividness.  "  I  hope  ere  this  you  are 
really  better,"  she  writes  to  one  tried  sufferer. 
"  These  poor,  frail  bodies,  how  full  of  infirmity  they 
are !  I  am  constantly  made  to  feel  it,  and  therefore 
can  feel  for  you.  For  how  difierently  sympathy  is 
felt  when  it  arises  out  of  felt  experience,  from  the 
mere  sympathy  of  kind  fellow-feeling !  I  have  hfid 
this  strongly  on  my  mind  lately,  fiom  those  words 
in  Heb.  ii.  18  :  'In  that  He  himself  hath  suffered, 
being  tempted.  He  is  able  to  succour  them  tliat  are 
tempted.'  And  I  think  one  sees  the  opposite  of  this 
so  strongly  in  the  Book  of  Job,  where  his  three 
friends  actually  aggi-avated  instead  of  lessening  hip 


6  Y  M  P  A  T  H  I  K  B .  825 

miseries,  from  their  want  of  understanding  of  his 
trials.     '  Miserable  comforters  are  ye  all ! '  ' 

And  she  adds :  "  How  often  one  is  shut  up  to  look 
for  sympathy  and  help  from  Him  who  alone  can 
know  the  peculiar  texture  of  our  minds,  and  who 
only  can  have  largeness  of  heart  enough  to  compre- 
hend all  the  variety  of  trials  which  distress  all  His 
'  many  sons.  Did  you  ever  find  comfort  to  yourself 
from  that  expression,  '  largeness  of  heart  V  I  re- 
member once  its  being  made  such  a  word  in  season 
to  me,  as  I  was  reading  1  Kings  iv.,  and  saw  in  Solo- 
mon the  type  or  figure  of  the  '  greater  than  Solomon.' 
It  says :  '  God  gave  Solomon  .  .  .  largeness  of 
heart,  even  as  the  sand  that  is  on  the  sea-shore.' 
And  taken  in  connexion  with  the  promise  to  Abra- 
ham, that  his  seed  should  be  as  many  as  the  sand  ou 
the  sea-shore  for  midlitudc,  I  think  it  is  inexpressibly 
comforting  to  feel  that  Jesus  has  '  largeness  of  heart' 
enough  to  take  in  every  smallest  grain  of  sand — 
every  feeblest  child  in  His  family,  and  to  care  for 
every  one  !" 

To  a  bereaved  mother,  Mi  s.  C W ,  she 

writes,  on  another  occasion,  thus  :  "  I  felt  for  you  not 
a  little.  I  knew  how  your  heart  was  bleeding,  and  I 
hoped  you  felt  the   hand  of  your  tender  Heavenly 

Physician  binding  up  your  wouuds.    For  dear  E , 

I  could,  of  course,  only  rejoice.  She  hi»s  ma^le  her 
escape  fi'om  her  clay  prison,  and  is  at  liberty  to  bask 
in  the  full  sunshine  of  Christ's  own  presence — not 
one  sin  grieving  lier  I     I  could  almost  envv  her."' 

Borne  upward  m  the  wings  of  faith  and  of  hope, 
28 


326  MKMOIK     OF     A,     L.     NEWTON. 

we  find  her  longing  at  limes  after  Christ  with  an 
intenseness  of  desire  almost  more  than  human,  "  Oh  ! 
I  have  such  intense,  unutterable  cravings,"  she  writes 

to   the  lion.   Mrs.  C ,  at  one   of  those  seasons, 

"  after  a  real  seeing  and  handling  of  the  Word  of 
Life  Incarnate,  that  I  am  only  conscious  of  the  most 
intense  emptiness  and  longings  after  the  real,  real 
thing,  I  wonder  if  you  will  understand,  what  I  can- 
not express  ; — it  has  been,  as  it  wore,  such  a  sense 
of  immortality  which  T  have  had — the  immortality 
of  my  own  soul,  and  its  inability  to  find  rest  in  any- 
thing finite,  I  can't  understand  why  the  indwelling 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  more  enough  to  me  than  it 
is,  unless  it  be  that  I  have  so  little  of  it ;  but  it  is 
Christ  I  want  to  see  ;  and  nothing  but  being  present 
with  Him  seems  the  least  to  give  me  any  idea  of 
being  satisfied." 

And  to  another :  "  The  character  of  Christ,  as 
given  in  His  own  words  in  the  Gospels,  is  such  a 
study  !  Its  marvellous  perfectness — how  it  astonishes 
me  and  fills  me  with  wonder  and  admiration — I  may 
say,  with  awe  !  I  am  downright  staggered  by  the 
exceeding  riches  of  His  grace  sometimes — how  He 
can  go  on  pardoning  day  after  day,  and  hour  after 
hour  !  Don't  you  often  feel  ashamed  to  go  to  ask  it  ? 
really  I  sometimes  cannot  get  the  words  out  tor 
shame.     Do  you  remember  how  Hewitson  used  to 

feel  this  ?  he  does  so  suit  me,    G has  just  got  his 

'Letters  and  Remains,'  and  I  have  been  feasting  on 
them  again  to-day,  I  never  knew  any  one  whose 
experience  came  home  to  me  like  his  :  he  attained  to 


LONGINGS.  327 

such  closeness  of  walk  Avith  God.  No  words  could 
describe  the  unutterable  longings  and  cravings  of 
soul  I  have  had  after  Ilim  lately,  and  intt'icourse 
with  Him.  I  quite  like  to  spend  my  time  on  my 
knees,  whether  I  can  pray  or  not ;  and  often  I  havt 
not  a  woi'd  to  say.  Oh  !  to  be  fed  by  the  Lamb 
before  the  throne  from  those  living  fountains  which 
will  quench  our  thirst  I'' 

The  "Great-hearts"  of  the  wilderness  stimulate 
other  pilgrims  on  their  way.  "  Slow-pace"  and 
"  Short-wind"  and  "  Linger-after-lust"  and  "  No- 
heart"  bring  up  an  evil  report  of  the  Land,  ''saying 
it  is  not  half  so  good  as  some  pretend  it  is ;"  and 
they  "  persuade  people  that  the  Lord  is  a  hard  task- 
master;" and  they  call  the  bread  of  God,  husks — 
the  comfort  of  His  children,  fancies — the  travel  and 
labour  of  pilgrims,  things  to  no  purpose."  l>ut 
Great-heart  "  takes  sword  and  helmet  and  shield," 
and,  facing  "  Giant  Grim,"  boldly  says,  "  These 
women  and  children  are  going  on  pilgrimage,  and 
this  is  the  way  they  must  go ;  and  go  it  they  shall, 
in  spite  of  thee  and  the  lions."  And  Great-heart  is 
not  bold  in  vain.  "  Come,"  said  he  to  the  pilgrims, 
"  what  think  you  of  the  pilgrimage  now  ?"  "  Sir," 
said  the  youngest  of  them,  "  I  was  almost  beat  out 
of  heart ;  but  I  thank  you  for  lending  me  a  hand  at 
my  need." 

Dear  Adelaide  was  a  Great-heart.  "  I  feel  so  sor- 
ly  foi-  you  having  to  go  from  place  to  place,"  she 
writes  to  a  friend  travelling  on  the  Continent ;  "  but 
this  comfort,  at  any  rate,  I  have,  that  in  all   your 


328  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

wilderness-waii'loriiigs  the  Lord  w.illcs  with  you  from 
plare  to  placo  in  the  tent  or  tabernarlo  of  your  body 
(2  Sam.  vii.  6,  7) ;  and  that  sanctifies  all.  The  joy 
and  peace  of  '  walking  in  the  hght'  is  something  so 
unutterably  bhssful,  is  it  not?  and  surely  it  is  our 
purchased  privilege  in  Jesus — '  They  shall  walk,  O 
Lord,  in  the  light  of  Thy  countenance  :  in  Thy  name 
shall  they  rejoice  all  the  day.'  " 

And  to  a  friend  in  Edinburgh,  Miss  G ,  she 

writes  :  "  Many  thanks  for  your  note  to  me.  Those 
words  of  Mrs.  Barbour's  are  tmly  wonderful  and 
God-gloiifying.  What  an  idea  it  gives  one  of  the 
immensity  of  God,  that  He  can  be  giving  so  abund- 
antly to  such  numbers  of  His  people  all  at  once,  and 
be  none  the  poorer  Himself!  'The  Lord  Avill  give 
grace  and  glory' — the  one  for  time,  the  other  for 
eternity,  don't  you  think  ?  Are  you  freed  yet  from 
all  the  dark  clouds  you  spoke  of?  I  am  wonderfully 
brought  up  out  of  the  depths.  No  Avords  can  say,  in 
the  least,  what  unutterable  cravHngs  of  heart  I  have 
had  after  a  sight — a  real,  satisfying  sight — of  Jesus. 
I  can't  understand  it,  when  I  ask  to  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Is  it  His  in:  1  welling  which  creates 
these  longings  after  heaven's  own  bliss  in  what  Mr. 

A described   yesterday  as  '  union  with   God  V 

Oh  !  how  sweet  a  Refuge  Jesus  is  in  every  storm  !  I 
do  believe  He  grows  dearer  to  me  now  every  day. 
As  to  health,"  she  adds,  "I  am  just  ready  to  be  fin- 
ished with  at  any  moment  if  it  pleased  God,  and  yet 
in  that  state  that,  if  He  chooses.  He  may  keep  me 
going  for  a  while  still  on  earth." 


1    A  T  r  E  N  C  E  .  329 

Auu  to  the  t=amf  friend  :  "  I  li;ive  just  read 
throurrh  llie  two  books  of  Samuel.  Poor  David  ! 
what  a  life  he  led  I  I  can't  saj'  what  a  feeling  his 
history  has  given  me.  I  grew  so  weary  of  his  inces- 
sant miseries,  and  did  seem  so  to  sympathize  with 
and  understand  the  endless  variety  of  them,  that  one 
thing,  and  only  one,  helped  me  through  ;  and  that 
was,  the  realizing  how  exactly  that  discipline  fitted 
him  for  wiiting  the  Psalms.  One  sees  how  exactly 
one's  own  path  is  chosen  by  God  to  fit  us  for  doing 
the  particular  work  He  designed  for  us  from  eter- 
nity, and  how  no  other  path  could  do  so  well ;  and 
does  not  that  give  you  a  great  feeling  of  contentment 
and  of  being  satisfied  to  have  things  as  they  are  ? 
A  little  patient  endurance  will  bring  us  where  we 
shall  admire  each  step  of  the  way  with  such  admira- 
tion !  Oh  !  what  intensity  of  happiness  there  is  in 
casting  in  one's  lot  with  Jesus !  I  have  so  much  felt 
lately  that  it  is  l.'ss  the  particular  enjoyment  of  the 
present  hour  or  moment  that  I  care  for,  than  tho 
settled  assurance  altogether  that  I  am  His  and  that  I 
am  going  along  the  Zionward  way  which  leads  straight 
to  His  presence.  Whnt  privileged  beings  you  and  I 
are,  to  be  under  His  own  hand — His  cfwn  training, 
and  to  know  it !" 

In  another  letter,  her  strong  heart  encourages  a 
fainting  fellow-pilgiim  thus  :  "  I  am  very,  very  jeal- 
ous of  any  v.igu 'n»,'ss  of  thought  respecting  the  real 
personality  of  the  Spirit.  I  don't  believe  we  half 
realize  it,  or  we  could  not  talk  of  His  'influences'  as 
we  do.     Oh!  to  be  filled  with  Ood  the  Holy  Ghost' 


330  M  E  M  O  I  K     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

Then  how  sfrono;  we  should  be  !  Jiow  lioly !  how 
Christ-like '  in  short,  everythini?  wc  want  to  be.  I 
have  so  re.iteil  on  those  words  lately, '  I  am  persuaded 
that  He  is  able.'  Shall  I  send  them  to  you?  What 
does  it  matter  how  weak  we  are  ?  Rather  may  wo 
learn  to  'glory  in  our  infirmities  !'  " 

Do  not  the  thoughts  which  follow  strike  a  chord 
in  many  a  pilgrim's  heart  ?  "I  am  reading  Hosea," 
she  writes.  "  How  fearful  our  tendency  is  to  be 
ever  dealing  treacherously  with  Jesus !  I  am  so 
tired  of  my  heart.  How  wonderful  Jesus  is,  that 
He  can  '  love  us  to  the  end' !  I  have  been  so  much 
struck  with  the  picture  He  Himself  has  drawn  of  our 
wilderness-life,  in  calling  it  by  those  two  emphatic 
words,  '  The  provocation.'  One  feels  it  is  so  true 
that  each  fresh  stage  only  calls  forth  fresh  murmur- 
ing and  rebelliousness,  until,  from  beginning  to 
end,  one  literally  seems  to  look  back  upon  one  series 
of  provocations.  And  then,  too,  the  bitterness  of  it 
is  so  aggravated  by  the  remembrance  that  it  is  all 
against  that  loving  God  who  has  already  '  many  a 
time'  forgiven  our  iniquity.  Oh  !  how  great  it  makes 
His  love  to  forgive  and  jiardon  all  those  forty  years' 
provocations ! 

"But  the  text,"  she  adds,  "I  had  thought  of  send- 
ing you  to-day  was  this,  '  Ye  are  they  which  have 
continued  with  me  in  my  temptations.'  (Luke  xxii. 
28.)  It  has  been  made  very  precious  to  me  in  two 
ways — one,  as  showing  how  Jesus  piizes  and  appre- 
ciates the  constant  love  of  His  pet«plc  and  their  pro- 
tracted endurauc(j  of  suti'ering  for  His  sake  ;  and  the 


"continuing     with     JESUS."  331 

other,  as  showing  the  preciousness  of  protracted  life, 
wlien  it  is  viewed  as  a  contiuuing  with  Jesus  in  the 
fellowship  of  His  sufferings.  It  seems  to  be  only  in 
advancing  experience  that  one  can  at  all  enter  into 
the  deep  meaning  of  His  words  ;  but  when  continu- 
ance amidst  temptation  is  felt  to  be  very  trying, 
they  are  precious  words  indeed,  are  they  not  ?  and 
if  I  can  feel  them  so,  how  much  more  can  you !  But 
I  must  stop — only  wishing  you  great  grace  to  enable 
you  to  rejoice  greatly  in  the  Lord,  and  to  make  your 
boast  in  Him  continually.  Don't  you  like  to  give 
vent  to  your  feelings  in  those  three  words,  '  Blessed 
be  God?'" 

William  Cowper  has  beautifully  said  of  "  Contem- 
plation,'' that 

'  Her  power  is  such  that  whom  she  lifts  from  earth 
She  makes  familiar  with  a  heaven  unseen, 
And  shews  liiui  glories  yet  to  be  revealed. 
Not  slotliful  he,  thougli  seeming  unemployed 
And  censured  oft  as  useless.     Stillest  streams 
Oft  water  fairest  meadows,  and  the  bird 
That  flutters  least  is  longest  on  the  wing." 

Adelaide  Newton  makes  little  noise;  but,  on  her 
eagle-i)inio  IS,  she  soais  higher  and  higher  into  the 
regions  of  the  heavenly  life.  "  I  have  just  linished 
reading  through  Kings,"  she  writes,  in  the  autumn 
of  1853  ;  "  and  one  thought  has  impressed  itself  v(!ry 
strontrly  en  my  mind,  as  I  have  gone  from  chapter 
to  cha])ter  ; — especially  in  contrast  with  the  subject 
I  lately  sent  you  on  Christ's  character,  as  given  in 
the  Gospels — He  always  doing  what  His  Fathei  did 


832  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

(John  V.  19) — always  keeping  His  Father's  com* 
raandmouts,  without  turning  aside — always  main- 
taiuing  such  entire  and  universal  regard  to  all  that 
was  holy,  just,  and  good.  How  very,  very  seldom 
we  come  upon  veiy  thorough  Christians  !  A  great 
many  are  sincere,  and  do  a  great  deal  that  is  riglit ; 
but  a  Caleb,  a  Joshua,  a  David,  a  Moses,  or  a  Daniel, 
are  very  rare.  And  how  striking  is  such  a  testimony 
as  this — '  He  did  that  which  was  right  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord ;  yet  not  like  David  his  father' !  (2 
Kings  xiv.  3).  It  was  altogether  a  much  lower  stan- 
dard ;  and  it  is  added,  '  Howbeit  the  high  places 
were  not  taken  away — as  yet  the  people  did  sacrifice 
and  burnt  incense  on  the  high  places.'  These  are 
the  Avords  which  have  so  especially  struck  me. 
Again  and  again  we  read — '  he  did  that  which  was 
right,'  save  that '  the  high  places  were  not  removed,  the 
people  sacrificed  and  burnt  incense  still.'     (2  Kings  xv. 

3,  4,  34,  35,  &c.,  &c.)     Oh  !  dear ,  is  it  not  asol- 

enm  thing  to  hear  the  Searcher  of  hearts  ever  saying 
that  there  is  '  still'  some  idolatry  indulged  ; '  still'  some 
secret  sins  spared  ;  '  still'  some  reserve  in  our  obed- 
ience ?  If  there  had  been  no  exceptions  amongst  the 
kings,  we  should  naturally  feel  that  it  was  a  kind  of 
impossible  thing  to  reach  a  higher  standard.  But 
don't  you  think  such  cases  as  Josiah  and  Hezekiah 
quite  prove  the  contrary  ?  Of  both  it  is  said,  that 
they  did  that  Avhich  was  right  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  according  to  all  that  David  did  (2  Kings  xviii. 
34  ;  xxii.  2) ;  and  they  did  remove  the  high  places, 
and  cut  down  the  groves.     So  that  altoj^ethor  it  telU 


A     CONTRAST.  883 

of  t]»e  low  state  in  which,  for  the  most  part,  we  are, 
as  ChiiNtians,  content  to  live  ;  so  unlike  Jesus,  who 
liad  respect,  literally,  unto  all  the  commandments!" 

And  she  adds  :  "The  text  I  have  chosen  to  send 
you  this  week  i^^  such  a  precious  one — '  Let  them 
shout  for  joy,  and  be  glad,  tliat  favour  my  righteous 
cause ;  yea,  let  them  say  continually,  Let  the  Lord 
be  magnified,  which  hath  pleasure  in  the  prosperity 
of  His  servant.'  Is  not  that  raising  us  immensely 
high,  to  make  our  joy  to  consist  so  largely  in  God's 
joy  in  the  prosperity  of  Jesus  ?  And  is  it  not  beau- 
tiful to  hear  Jesus  praying  that  His  Father  may  '  be 
magnified'  for  taking  ])leasure  in  His  success  ?  I 
feel,  dearest  — ,  that  I  can  wish  you  no  higher  en- 
joyment than  much  of  this  gladness,  and  that  you 
may  really  be  able  to  '  say  coBtinually,'  '  The  Lord 
be  magnified.' " 

And  in  another  letter,  she  says:  "  I  always  think  it 
is  the  highest  kind  of  joy  we  are  invited  to  indulge 
in — to  be  sharers  of  God's  joy  !  And  it  is  a  joy  so 
wholly  independent  of  ourselves  and  of  our  own  feel- 
ings, that  it  seems  as  if  it  might  be  possible  that  it 
shoold  be  realized,  as  Christ  prays  it  may  bo,  '  con- 
tinually.' " 

It  is  well  to  touch  "  from  behind"  the  hem  of 
Christ's  garment,  for  even  such  a  touch  brings  "  vir- 
tue out  of  Ilim  ;''  but  it  is  better  to  come  uj)  in  front 
of  Him  an!  louk  into  His  face.     "I  want,"  Adelaide 

writes,    "  the    foil   '  kisses    of   His   moulli.'     R 

seems  to  get  'close  up'  to  Him  in  j^-ayer.     Did  you 
ever  connect  the  words,  '  lie  not  silent   unto  mo.'  in 


834  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

Ps.  xxviii.,  with  the  grand  description  of  '  the  voice 
of  the  Lord,'  in  Ps.  xxix  ?  May  He  bless  you  every 
moment  with  Ilis  love,  watering  you  (as  Hewitson 
would  say)  with  the  silent  dew !" 

And  again  :  "  I  am  sure  we  are  not  half  enough 
alone  in  ])rayor.  I  do  so  long  for  a  (;loser  walk  with 
Jesus.  I  seem  so  very  often  in  a  kind  of  mist,  as  if 
I  knew  He  Avas  in  the  room  but  I  could  not  see 
Him.  Do  you  understand  this  ?  Pray  that  I  may 
have  a  greater  spirit  of  prayer,  and  of  praise  too.  1 
have  been  reading  of  the  singers  '  day  and  night'  in 
the  temple:  how  Ifttle  we  know  of  such  constant 
praise  now  !" 

A  visit  Avhicli  "  a  Free  Church  minister,  Mr.  C 

B ,"  had  paid  to  her,  she  sketches  in  the  same 

letter,  thus :  "  I  greatly  enjoyed  it,  because  he 
seemed  so  v^eiy  happy  in  God  and  in  His  "Word. 
When  he  was  up  with  me  in  this  room,  he  appeared 
as  if  he  could  scarcely  sit  still  sometimes  for  delight, 
especially  when  speaking  of  Ps.  Ixxxv.  10 — 'Rights 
eousness  and  poace  have  kissed  each  other.'  He 
claspeil  his  arms  and  looked  all  he  seemed  as  if  he 
would  like  to  say  of  the  exquisite  beauty  of  God's 
own  joy  in  the  perfection  of  His  own  attributes.  It 
is  iinj)ossible  to  put  it  into  words  ;  but  perhaps  the 
idea  may  strike  your  mind,  as  it  did  mine,  in  a  w.ny 
it  never  had  before." 

And,  in  another  letter,  she  says:  "It  strikes  me 
more  and  more  every  day,  how  much  people  dwell 
upon  their  own  feelings  and  experiences  and  duties, 
rather  than  upon  all  that  Christ  was  and  felt  and  did 


"  A  F  A  K     OF  F  ."  S3fl 

for  them  ; — I  mean  practically.  Do  you  not  think 
one  chief  part  of  the  S|)irit's  work  is  to  testify  ot 
Christ  and,  by  revealing  Ilim,  to  conform  us  to  His 
likeness?  I  think  we  often  bejjin  at  the  wronjx  end 
(if  I  may  so  express  myself),  trying  to  copy  Him  and 
to  follow  His  example,  instead  of  studying  Him  and 
expecting  to  be  changed  into  His  image  'while  be- 
holding His  glory.' " 

A  threatened  bereavement  drew  forth  the  follow- 
ing :  "I  know  what  it  is  to  lose  a  father;  and  I 
seem  instinctively  to  shrink  from  the  thought  of  any 
one  I  love  having  the  prospect'  even  '  afar  off,'  of 
passing  through  those  deep  waters.  But  let  me  not 
lead  you,  tor  a  passing  moment,  into  the  sin  of  anti- 
cipating the  unknown  future.  Do  you  know  those 
lines : — 

"  '111  spare  all  useless  thinking, 
Nor  shall  my  mind  be  shrinking, 

Concerning  what  may  be. 
I'll  follow  thy  kuid  leading, 
Dear  Lord,  in  each  proceeding : 

That  thou  art  all,  sufficcth  me'? 

I  don't  know  that  any  prece)jt  in  the  whole  Bible  has 
been  more  invaluable  to  me  at  times  than  this — 
*  Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow ;'  but  it  is  hard  to 
carry  it  out  into  practice.  In  fact,  each  day  and  hour 
make  me  see  more  and  more  how  amazinglv  slight 
our  understanding  of  the  mere  words  of  Scripture  is. 
Its  heights  and  depths  seem  resen-ed  for  Ilim  whose 
understandincr  is  infinite." 


336         M  i;  M  o  I  u    OF    a  .    l  .    n  e  w  t  o  n  . 

Towards  the  close  of  ihe  year,  slie  speaks  of  "  hav- 
ing withia  the  last  few  weeks  been  really  ill,  though 
still  ^::;oing  about  the  house  and  pulling  through  all 
the  outside-work  of  daily  life."  And  she  adds :  "  I 
have  been  compelled  to  give  up  nearly  all  my  letter- 
writing.  I  have  thought  of  your  approaching  con- 
firmation-day many  times  lately,  .-oeing  it  marked  in 
my  '  daily  food.'  It  is  now  thirteen  years  since  I 
took  those  vows,  and  said  I  renounced  the  world,  <fec. 
Badly  enough  have  they  all  been  kept;  but  I  thank 
God  for  having  taken  care  of  me,  when  I  might  have 
broken  loose  from  Ilim  so  ofieu  if  lie  had  not  held 
me  in  with  a  somewhat  tight  hand.  Did  it  ever 
strike  you  what  a  solemn  view  it  gives  of  what  our 
separateness  from  worldliness  should  be,  that  we 
are  in  Christ  even  in  His  character  of  '  Nazarite'  ? 
It  almost  overpowered  me  last  week,  when  the  idea 
first  struck  me.  How  false  a  representation  we  give 
of  Ilim  to  the  world — do  we  not  ?" 

The  fruits  of  this  new  discipline  she  notes  in  an- 
other  letter,  thus :  "  What  has  tried  me  most  is,  that 
I  have  felt  so  utterly  unable  to  exert  myself,  especial- 
ly in  reading  or  writing.  It  is  very  humbling  dis- 
cipline ;  but,  oh  !  E ,  I  do  feel  so  increasingly 

that  that  is  just  what  we  most  need.  We  do  live  so 
very  much  to  please  ourselves ;  and  it  will  not  do. 
God  will  not  suffer  it,  if  we  are  really  His ;  and,  in 
one  way  or  other,  self  must  be  abased  now,  if  we 
are  to  be  exalted  hereafter.  The  thought  of  this 
reconciles  me  to  it  all ;  I  may  say,  it  makes  me 
thankful  for  it,  even  when  it  is  trying  me    most." 


"GODLINESS."  387 

And  elsewhere  she  says  :  "  lie  keeps  ne  in  very 
'great  peace.'  I  can't  often  speak  of  jty;  but  even 
that  I  have  sometimes — and  I  feel  every  day  how 
the  items  fur  praise  are  being  added  to,  which  will 
give  me  full  employment  for  eternity  when  I  know 
all." 

Another  feature  of  her  inner  life  was  developed 
into  new  prominence.  "  I  do  wish  I  loved  Jesus 
more,"  she  writes,  "  in  those  who  have  no  comeli- 
ness outwardly  (or  mentally)  to  attract  me."     And 

to  another  :  "  She  is  a  friend  of ;  and  seeing  that 

she  and  you  are  no  longer  '  strangers  and  foreigners,' 
but  of  the  household  of  God,  I  hope  you  will  not  feel 
it  strange  to  be  thus  introduced  to  her.  As  'daugh- 
ters' of  the  Lord,  you  are  sisters  to  one  another :  will 
you  treat  her  as  a  sister  and  write  to  her  yourself?" 
And  again,  on  Nov.  11  :  "I  suppose  you  have  been 
very  busv,  not  to  have  let  me  share  your  trials  and 
sorrows  all  these  months.  I  won't  suspect  Christian 
love — it  would  be  wronging  Him  who  dwells  within. 
Oh  !  ,  what  a  marvel  '  godliness'  is !  '  God  mani- 
fest in  the  flesh,'  not  in  Ji'sus  only  while  lie  was  on 
earth,  but  in  His  body  mystical,  still  dwelt  in  as  we 
are  by  God  the  Holy  Ghost !  Oh  !  the  wonder  of 
this  1" 

Some  other  thoughts  are  given  elsewhere  thus : 
"We  were  so  agreed  upon  the  bliss  of  getting  away 
from  self  to  God.     <^iie  </f  the  things  which  struck 

me  most  in  Mr.  P was   his  strong  feeling  of 

distress  at  the  dishonour  we  cast  on    God    by  our 

unbelief  of  His  grici\     Is  it  not  very  remarkable, 

•:9 


338  M  t;  M  o  I  u    OK    a  .    l  .    n  e  w  t  o  n  . 

•'n  John's  first  Epistle,  how  every  unlioly  thing  is 
resented,  as  if  he  would  instinctively  have  shrunk 
from  it — as  if  he  really  would  '  touch  no  unclean 
thing,'  '  no  lie,'  '  uo  sin.'  It  is  such  '  walking  in 
the  light' — is  it  not  ?  in  fellowship  with  Jesus,  the 
'  holy,  harmless,  undefiled'  One — so  '  separate  from 
sinners  I'  I  was  so  exceedingly  struck  with  those 
words  in  1  Sam.  xvi.  1 — '  How  long  wilt  thou  mourn 
for  Saul,  seeing  /  have  rejected  him  from  reigning 
over  Israel  V  as  if  God  looked  in  His  people  for 
such  oneness  of  mind  with  Himself,  and  such  an 
understanding  of  what  He  was  about,  that  it  was  a 
strange  thing  for  Sanmel  to  be  in  the  dark  concern- 
ing it  and  to  be  in  such  useless  grief.     Oh  !  E , 

what  untold  sorrow  w^e  should  be  spared,  if  our 
minds  were  more  at  one  with  God  in  all  the  things 
He  is  doing  !" 

And  to  Mrs.  G ,  on  Nov.  18  :  "  Have  you  had 

your  mind  led  to  the  subject  of  the  '  meetness  for 

the  inheritance,'  stated  in  Col.  i.  12  ?     Mr, wap 

preaching  on  it  lately,  and  took  the  '  meetness'  as  the 
sanctifying  work  of  the  Spirit  wrought  in  the  heart. 
But  it  is  properly,  I  think,  neither  the  Son's  work  nor 
the  Spirit's,  but  the  Father's — '  Giving  thanks  unto 
the  Father,  Avliich  hath  made  us  meet.'  And  it 
seems  to  me  that  there  is  a  very  peculiar  beauty  and 
preciousncss  in  this ;  for,  if  I  mistake  not,  the  idea 
of  the  passage  is,  our  being  put  into  a  new  position 
or  standing,  even  that  of  children — our  '  sonship- 
position,'  vvliich  is  the  literal  rendering  of  'adop- 
tion ;'  in  other  words,  our  being  translated  into  the 


DESXON     OF     SUi'-FERING.  339 

kingdom  of  Ili.s  Son  (v.  13).  The  Greek  won!  for 
'  meet'  assuredly  signifies,  not  inlierent  <^iialification, 
but  rather  meetness  of  position.  How  much  cause 
/  liave  for  '  giving  thanks  unto  the  Father'  for 
what  He  has  done  !  '  Tlie  Lord  Jesus  be  with  your 
spirit'  night  and  day,  with  light,  and.  peace,  and 
gladness !" 

And  to  the  same,  on  Dec.  G  (1853):  "The 
subject  wliich  lias  been  on  my  mind  this  week  is, 
the  way  in  which  our  sufiorings  have  been  made  to 
unfold  the  character  of  God.  Formerly  I  had  al- 
ways thoUi,ht  of  suffering  as  appointed  or  per- 
mitted of  God  for  our  good ;  and  I  saw  little  or 
nothing  more.  But  now  I  can  see,  in  His  choice 
and  arrangement  of  it,  and  in  His  methods  of 
dealing  it  out  to  each  single  believer  in  the  count- 
less multitude  of  the  redeemed,  the  most  magni- 
ficent display  of  His  own  character.  And  I  cannot 
tell  you  how  altered  a  view  it  has  given  me  of  it. 

His  wisdom  so  exercised  and  exhibited  in  always 
selecting  the  right  kind  of  trial  for  each  individual 
character;  the  right  quantity;  the  right  time  for 
sending  it,  so  as  that  it  should  not  clash  with 
any  other's ;  the  right  duration  I  And  then  His 
power,  almightiness,  tenderness,  and  patience — how 
wonderfully  they  are  developed  in  sustaining  and 
comforting  us  under  them !  Do  you  like  the 
thouo-ht  ?  To  me  it  is  most  precious,  and  takes  mo 
off  self  so  much,  and  fixes  the  eye  on  God,  which  is 
just  what  I  need  when  suffering  presses  somewhat  sore." 

An  interval  of  renewed  elasticity  was   given  in 


340  M  E  M  O  I  R     OF     A  .     L.     N  E  W  TON. 

the  month  of  December.     "This  intense  cold,"  she 

Aviites  to  tlie   Hon.  Mrs.  C ,  on  Deo.  8,   "  liaa 

suited  me  better  than  tlie  damp;  it  has  quite  re- 
stored my  faculties  to  mo  (if  I  may  so  speak),  and 
has  wonderfully  cheered  me  up,  and  filled  me  with 
thankfulness  for  this  unspeakable  boon.  I  just  con- 
trived to  finish  ITeb.  viii.,  that  it  might  go  to  you  in 
the  parcel,  and  have  since  been  thoroughly  delighting 
mvself  in  the  three  next  chapters,  which,  after  mucli 
thought,  I  seem  to  see  my  way  into." 

An  interesting  glimpse  into  her  sick-chamber 
occurs  in  a  brief  note  from  one  of  her  sisters,  dated 
Dec.  12  (1853):  "Dearest  Adelaide  is  shut  up 
here,  living  chiefly  in  her  own  two  rooms,  but 
coming  down  stairs  for  a  change  every  day.  She 
has  failed  ever  since  last  March,  and  was  apparently 
altering  fiist  in  October,  when  the  idea  which  had 
been  entertained  of  going  to  Torquay  was  abandoned, 
because  thf»  medical  opinion  was  that  slie  was  unable 
to  travel.  She  was  beautifully  acquiescent  in  the 
decision  to  remain  ;  indeed,  her  state  of  mind  may 
be  called  '  heavenly :'  it  is  so  far  above  any  that  I 
ever  saw  in  any  other  dear  Christian  friend,  that  I 
caimot  but  feel  it  is  possible  she  may  be  thus  rapidly 
maturing  for  an  approaching  removal  to  a  holier  at- 
mosphere— this  is  so  uidike  all  she  is  and  all  she 
feels  now  !  But  lately  she  has  seemed  to  rally,  and 
to  employ  herself  so  diligently,  that  perhaps  she  has 
yet  more  work  to  do  for  Jesus;  and  if  so,  she  will 
have  strength  to  do  it.  Her  light  is  most  clear  and 
beautiful  amongst  us  :  she  only  seeks  Jesus'  glory  in 
life  or  i>  death." 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

"This,"  said  a  dying  saiut,  "is  heaven  begun.  I 
have  done  with  darkness  for  ever,  for  ever.  Satan  is 
vanquished.  Notliing  now  remains  but  salv.'ition 
with  eternal  glory — eternal  glory  !" 

"The  celestial  city,"  said  Payson,  on  his  deathbed, 
"is  full  in  view:  its  glories  beam  upon  me;  its 
breezes  fan  rae ;  its  odours  are  waf'<!d  to  me ;  its 
music  strikes  upon  me  ;  and  its  spirit  l>roathos  into 
my  heart:  nothing  separates  me  from  it  but  the 
river  of  death,  which  now  appears  as  a  narrow  rill 
that  may  be  crossed  at  a  single  step  whenever  God 
gives  me  permission." 

We  are  now  to  enter  dear  Adelaide's  dying  cham- 
ber; and  we  shall  find  it,  not  sombre,  but  illumined 
with  a  shechinah-glory. 

"What  have  I  left,  tliat  I  should  stay  and  groan? 
The  most  of  mo  to  heaven  is  fled  ; 
My  thouglits  and  joys  arc  all  pack'd  up  and  gone, 
And  for  their  old  acquaintance  plead." 

One  of  her  sisters  writes  :  "  For  four  or  five  months, 
she  might  almost  be  said  to  be  dyin^•." 

The  last  day  she  ever  got  downstairs  was  one 
morning  (Januarv  3)  when  she  Imrrird  after  a  friend 


342  MEMOIR     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

with  a  parcel  which  she  was  anxious  shouM  not  be 
forgotten.  "  The  effort,"  says  her  sister,  "  was  to  her 
very  great ;  and  the  exposure  to  the  cold  on  that 
bitter  day.  as  she  passed  down  the  staircase  into  the 
hall,  was  a  real  sacrifice.  She  regained  her  room 
only  with  distressing  difficulty — her  breathing  was 
so  painful,  and  her  whole  system  so  aflfected  by  the 
cold  air." 

In  her  Diary  we  find  the  following  brief  entries  : 
«  Ja7i.  1  (1854).     Very  ill.     'Lord,  I  believe;'— my 

text  tor  the  year(?)"     '■'■Jan.  16.  Dr. told  me 

all  the  acute  symptoms  were  much  increased."  '■'■Jan. 

23.  Saw  Dr. .     I  asked  him  if  it  was  right  to 

let  them  think  I  was  dying;  and  his  reply  was, 
'  There  is  active  disease  now,'  adding  that  he  did  not 
think  my  having  rallied  before,  any  pledge  of  my  do- 
ing so  again,  but  the  contrary,  because,  each  attack, 
it  became  more  difficult.  Solemn  to  be  really  told 
it!"  ''Jan.  31.  Was  enabled  to  write  out  Ileb.  ix. 
11-14.  G promised  to  undertake  my  Scripture- 
reader  !     'Begone   unbelief!'"     "■Feb.   2.    Saw   Dr. 

:  felt  much  better ;  and  he  said  I  had  gained 

some  ground."     '■'■Feb.  11.  M came  to  see  me. 

How  nmch  happier  we  both  seemed  than  the  last 
time !  God  be  praised  for  it,  and  for  leading  us  on, 
even  though  it  be  through  the  great  and  terrible 
depths  of  the  wilderness." 

And  again  :  '■'■Feb.  IV.  Wrote  to  Dr.  Bonar,  con- 
senting that  Hebrews  should  be  begun  to  be  printed 
immediiitely."  "  Feb.  1 9.  Was  enabled  in  the  after- 
noon to  wriU'  ITt''>.  ix.  15-20.     May  God  accept  and 


"death    1,  i:  f  I    in;  HIND,''  343 

bless  it!  A  very  had  niolit."  "■  Fch.  23.  Very 
poorly;  could  do  nothing  all  day."     ^^ March  1.  My 

thirtieth  hirthday."  ''  March  C.  Saw  Dr. afrain  ; 

he  said  I  was  not  so  well :  a  very  poor  day."  '■'■March 

9.  Saw  Dr. ;   hut   he  could  do  nothing  more 

for  nie."     ''March  28.  Saw  Dr. ,  who  evidently 

thinks  nie  going  off  very  decidedly."  '■'•March  31. 
Received  the  first  proof-sheet  of  Hebrews.  The 
Lord  make  it  all  His  own  !"  ''April  12.  My  diffi- 
culty of  breathing  very  great  all  this  week,  day  and 
night."  "April  13.  Ileceived  third  proot-sheet,  to 
chap.  ii.  3."  "April  14.  Received  fourth  proof-sheet, 
to  chap.  iii.  1." 

Lord  Bacon  has  remarked  that  "  there  is  no  pas- 
sion in  the  mind  of  man  so  weak  but  it  mates  and 
masters  the  fear  of  death.  Revenge  triumphs  over 
death ;  love  slights  it ;  honour  aspireth  to  it ;  grief 
flieth  to  it ;  fear  pre-occupieth  it."  In  a  sense  which 
Bacon  did  not  personally  know,  dear  Adelaide  "  mas- 
tered" the  last  enemy.     "  I  feel,"  she  writes  to  Mrs. 

C W ,  "  its  if  it  would  be  quite  impossible 

to  express  the  change  which  is  come  over  me  in 
thinking  of  death.  It  used  to  be  my  favourite  sub- 
ject. But  now  it  seems  not  worth  a  thought.  In- 
deed, I  quite  dislike  it,  not  from  any  fear  of  it,  but 
from  a  kind  of  feeling  that  it  is  one  of  the  things  a 
Christian  has  left  behind.  No — that  does  no^  ex- 
press it,  for  it  is  still  to  come  But  I  mean  that  we 
have  actually  got  the  victory  over  it  in  Jesus.  And 
I  think,  as  one  realizes  union  with  Him,  one  feels  to 
have  done  with   it  in   Him,  and   that  the  circum- 


344  >1  li  M  O  I  K      U  1'      A  .      J. .      N  E  \V  TON. 

Btauces  altc'iidiiig  death  need  not  be  anticipated 
one  whit  more  than  those  of  any  other  trial  which 
may  or  may  not  be  '  on  the  morrow.'  And  tliere 
seems  to  me  sucli  extraordinary  liberty  and  hap- 
piness in  this.  I  would  anticipate  nothing,  but  re- 
joice in  the  present  [irivileges  of  my  inheritance, 
so  far  as  I  am  enabled  to  do  so,  from  moment  to 
moment." 

Meanwhile,  she  left  not  an  instant  unused  in  fin- 
ishing her  work  of  service.  "  I  have  thought  of  you 
very  often,"  she  writes,  for  example,  to  one  whom 
she  felt  she  had  not  tenderly  enough  warned,  "  since 
the  few  words  I  had  with  you  the  last  day  I  saw  you. 
K  you  remember,  you  were  just  telling  me  how 
afraid  you  were  to  die,  when  I  was  called  away. 
Have  you  ever  closely  asked  yourself  what  makes  you 
afraid  ?  I  can  remember  the  time  when  I  was  so 
much  afraid  of  dying  that  I  often  dared  not  go  to 
sleep  at  night  lest  I  should  not  live  till  the  morning. 
But  during  the  last  five  or  six  years,  and  often  when 
I  have  been  appaieutly  on  the  very  brink  of  the 
grave,  I  felt  no  fear  at  all.  Quite  the  contrary ;  I 
longed  to  die !  Now  you  can  surely  guess  what  made 
this  change  in  me.  Once  outside,  now  in  Christ ! 
There  is  no  real  happiness  until  we  have  gone  and 
told  God  all  we  feel  and  all  we  are,  and  asked  Him 
to  cover  our  nakeduess  and  to  wash  us  in  the  blood 
of  Jesus.  I  long  for  you  to  be  truly  happy.  Pray 
to  be  hid  in  Jesus.  You  have  beautiful  time  for 
praying,  when  you  sit  alone  with  God  in  that  nice 
little  room.     Oh  !  what  a  happy  room  it  might  be  to 


"  8  I  y  K    I  N  T  O     C  11  U  I  3  T  ."  345 

you,  if  Jesus  were  with  you  tliere !  I  pray  that  He 
may  be.  Join  me  in  praying  yourself  also ;  then,  if 
two  'agree,'  see  Matt,  xviii.  19." 

And  to  another  she  writes,  in  a  different  strain : 
"  You  cauuot  think  how  much  I  prized  your  visit. 
We  thought  and  spoke  together  of  Ilim  whose  name 
we  love  and  fear ;  and  I  have  not  a  doubt  lie  looked 
on,  auJ   loved  to  he  so  remembered   in    this  God- 
forgetting  world.     You  know  I  always  like  to  think 
of  His  pleasures,  and  rather  to  draw  mine  from  them 
than  to  make  mine  the  chief  thing."     "  Is  not  the 
Potter   and   the   clay,"    she   adds,   reverting    to    a 
figure  formerly  named,  "  a  comforting  thought,  in 
all  ways  ?  for  not  only  does  it  put  us  in  our   right 
place  as  helj^less  clay  in  tlie   Potter's  hand,  but  it 
gives  one  such  confidence  in  all  He  does  with  us ; 
because,  of  course.  He  will  fashion  us  so  as  to  get 
Himself  most   glory  by  us.      And    with   such   an 
object  in  view,  one  feels  so  sure  that    His  designs 
for  each  vessel  must  be  so  full  of  exquisite  beauty, 
displaying  such  exquisite  skill.     And  there  is  some- 
thincr  so  very  sweet  in  the  feeling  that  we  can  be 
made  use  of  to  exhibit  the  beauty  of  His  workman- 
Bhip.     May  you  often  be  enabled  to  pray  for  your 
poor,  weak,  worthless   friend,  and   yet   a  sister  in 
(xod's  fiimily,  where   all   is  royalty,  splendour,  and 
might !" 

Her  bodily  weakness  became  at  times  so  oppres- 
sive to  her  that  she  could  scarcely  even  bear  to  be 
prayed  with.  "  I  can  sink  into  Christ,"  she  said  on 
one  of  those  occasions,  *'  though  I  cannot  rise  to  Him." 


.■^40  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

And  anotlier  day,  when  she  had  not  strength  to 
pray  alone,  she  whispered,  "  Yet  it  comes  to  me !" 

An^l  again,  one  night,  as  she  was  suftering  great 
p;iin  in  her  chest,  and  was  ahnost  ovorwhelmod  by 
nausea  an!  a  "  disti-acting  lieadache,"  she  mildly  whis- 
pered— "  But  you  know  Jesus  prays." 

"The  way,"  says  one  of  her  sisters,  "  in  which  she 
used  at  this  time  to  name  His  name,  conveyed  to  me 
far  more  than  I  had  ever  heard  her  say  iibout  llim 
bcibre  ;  she  seemed  always  conscious  that  He  was 
close  to  licr — almost  abstracted  from  every  one  be- 
sides— in  some  unknown  way  (to  me)  filled  with 
Him,  filled  by  Him,  -.uid  tliat  so  continuously  that 
literally  she  '  lacked  nothing.'  The  impression  on 
my  own  mind  is  most  vivid,  though  I  know  I  cannot 
in  the  least  convey  it  to  others ; — it  was  not  that  she 
spoke  about  it,  for  litei-ally  she  had  not  bre.ilh  to 
speak  with,  it  being  only  occasionally  that  she  talked 
whole  sentences  at  once — but  she  really  seemed  en- 
tirely absorbel  with  Him — Jesus  was  her  '  all  in  all.' " 

A  new  radiance,  quiet  and  still  like  the  setting 
8un,  appeared  to  rest  now  upon  passages  of  the  Word 
which  bel'ore  had  been  wi';i[)t,  even  to  her  eye,  in  a 
kind  of  mist.     "  Bright,"  they  seemeJ, 

I  "  As  the  glhnpses  of  eteruity, 

To  saints  accorded  in  tlieir  dying  hour." 

*  Oh  !  how  very,  very  little,"  she  said,  one  day  (Jan. 
19),  "  fi-iends  are  to  us  in  the  matter  of  dying  !  It  is 
BO  exclusively  betwixt  God  and  the  soul.  I  am  so 
enveloped  just  now  in  tliatbrigiit  'cloml '  "  (alluding 


CHRISTIAN     AND     HOPEFUL.  347 

to  Heb.  xii.  1) — "  so  ro.-ilizing  tlie  being  '  encompassed' 
by  it — so  enjoying  the  tliougbt  tliat  Jesus  is  the  Sun 
•which  sheds  on  it  all  its  brightness  !" 

And,  on  another  occasion  :  "  I  have  been  thinking 
of  the  Melchizedec  priesthood,  and  have  found  it  such 
a  rich  'feast  of  (jxt  things!'  That  word — 'which 
passeth  not  from  one  to  another'  (mar^.  Heb.  vii.  24) 
— is  so  dear  to  me  ;  it  shows  that  our  tale,  being  once 
told  to  Jesus,  has  never  to  be  told  again  to  a  stranger  !" 
And  then,  after  a  pause,  she  added  :  "  It  is  always 
the  same  heart  of  love  which  listens  and  intercedes. 
And,  of  course,  the  oftener  we  go  to  Him,  the  better 
we  can  appreciate  the  value  of  the  assurance  that  His 
priesthood  passes  not  into  other  hands." 

The  Pilgrim,  in  his  struggle  through  the  "  black 
river,"  "  cried  out  to  his  friend  Hopeful,  'I  sink  in 
deep  waters.'  "  Dear  Adelaide,  during  these  months, 
was  not  without  tasting  this  trial.  "  I  cannot  help 
telling  you,"  she  writes,  in  a  brief  note,  "how 
despondency  has  been  trying  me ;  for  I  know  you 
will  ask  that  the  temptation  may  be  taken  away.  I 
think  it  is  plain  that  Satan  has  been  taking  advan- 
tage of  my  weakness ;  and  I  feel  as  if  I  could  not 
help  turning  to  you,  as  the  only  friend  to  whom  I 
can  unburden  this  particular  trial,  to  ask  your  kind 
help  in  prayer.  I  always  feel  that  to  be  spoken  for 
to  God  is  more  than  all  besides." 

When  the  Pilgrim  was  trembling,  Hopeful  ex- 
claimed, "  Bo  of  good  cheer,  my  brother  ;  I  feel  the 
bottom,  and  it  is  good."  Dear  Adelaide  was  never 
without  "  feeling  the  bottom."     In   a  pencil-note  to 


S48  M  li  M  U  I  14     OF      A.      L.      N  K  WT  O  N' . 

the  Hon.  Mrs.  C ,  Jau.  19,  she  says:  "  I  really 

am  too  ill  just  now  to  write  or  read  or  think  ;  but  I 
must  make  the  effort  to  undeceive  you  about  mv 
state  of  mind — it  never  was  so  low,  so  unable  to 
,  enter  at  all  '  into  the  sanctuary  above.'  No ;  I  have 
liad  the  full  persuasion  that  God  was  unchangeable 
in  all  His  feelings  to  me,  though  all  mine  to  Him 
seem  at  an  end.  You  little  know  how  sorely  un- 
belief tries  me ;  but  I  suppose  it  is  thr.ough  these 
very  depths  of  anguish  that  we  learn  most — and, 
therefore,  while  we  cry,  '  0  wretched  man  that  I 
am  !'  we  may  still  be  saying,  '  I  thank  God  through 
Jesus  Christ.' " 

And  again  :  "  I  quite  believe  that  this  spiritual 
tiial  arises  from  bodily  health.  I  feel  you  do  right 
to  direct  me  to  the  temptations  of  Jesus ;  for,  after 
all,  satisfying  comfort  can  be  found  nowhere  else. 
If  there  he  one  subject  more  than  any  other  which 
I  long  to  be  helped  to  prize  more,  it  is  the  love  of 
Jesus.  And  perhaps  the  study  of  that  love,  as  you 
have  so  kindly  )nit  it  before  nie,  may  be  God's  way 
of  setting  me  fico." 

And  to  another,  Jan.  26:  "Don't  sorrow,  dearest 
friend.  Wheu  faiih  is  lively,  there  is  nothing  I  so 
long  for  as  to  be  v;iM;  Jesus — I  do  so  want  face  to 
face  communioii ;  but  pi'ny  for  me  just  now  as  much 
as  you  can,  for  I  c^esm  to  be  ascending  the  mountain 
through  mists  which  h'd^  everything.  Don't  you 
know  what  I  mean  V 

Light  once  more  ai'oce  ir  tUe  darkness ;  and,  ;:8 
often  '^fore,  it  cnmc  tljro;iL,"b  tbf>  Word.     "  I  am  hap 


LIGHT     IN     THE     DAKKNKSS.  34y 

pier  now,"  she  writes,  Feb.  2.  "I  must  first  tell  yju, 
however,  that,  for  some  time  past,  it  has  been  rather 
trying-  tome  not  to  tind  ainthing  in  the  Bible  which 
quite  suited  my  case.  Isa.  h  10  did  not ;  for  I  could 
not  say  I  had  '  no  light.'  Mic.  vii.  9  did  not ;  for,  in 
this  particular  instance,  I  had  no  particular  sin  witli 
which  to  charge  myself.  And  so  on  with  other  similar 
texts ;  whilst  I  never  could,  for  one  moment,  believf 
that  God  was  hiding  His  face.  I  felt  I  was  myself 
crushed,  and  I  could  not  look  up.  You  will  believe 
therefore,  how  exactly  I  found  myself  described  in 
Exod.  vi.  9 — '  Moses  spake  so  unto  the  children  of 
Israel ;  but  they  hearkened  not  unto  Moses  for  an- 
guish (jnarr/.,  shortness,  or  straitness)  of  spirit  and 
for  cruel  bondage.'  And  then  I  felt  that  redemp- 
tion was  only  '  promised'  to  them  ;  but  for  us  it  is 
'  obtained' — actu.illy,  for  the  soul,  and,  in  Christ,  for 
the  body.  And  it  seemed  as  if,  for  the  first  time, 
God  had  in  this  trial  spoken  through  His  Word 
and  brought  it  home.  T  never  am  happy  till  I  liave 
verified  my  experience  by  the  Word.  "  She  bright- 
ened," says  her  sisler,  "  from  that  moment." 

Another  consolation  gladdened  her.  "This  has 
sometimes  tried  and  exercised  my  faith  lately,"  she 
writes,  on  Feb.  10,  "  why  such  extremity  of  sufier- 
ing  must  be ;  but,  after  all,  it  brings  us  into  very, 
very  little  fellowship  with  what  Jesus  endured. 
His  suflerings  have  been  quite  too  much  for  me  at 
times  lately — I  could  not  read  them.  I  suppose  you 
never  felt  thi'.t  ?"  And  again:  "I  have  been  think- 
ing of  thfs?  'vords  of  His  to  Zebedee's  sons, 'Cau 
•M) 


•JSO  M  K  M  O  I  U     OF     A .     L.     NEWTON. 

yo  diink  of  the  cup  which  I  drink  of?'     Oh  !  dearest 

,  if  I  have  Icaiued  but  one  lesson  through  this 

sc£ison  of  humiliation,  it  is  that  I  stand  from  first  to 
last  iu  what  Jesus  has  done  for  me.  '  Thou  wilt 
keep  him  in  peace — peace,  whose  mind  is  stayed  on 
thee !' " 

About  the  end  of  February  she  speaks  of  being 
"  wonderfully  better,"  and  of  "  certainly  gaining 
strength."  And  she  hastened  to  "  occupy"  the  brief 
season  of  respite.  "  Whenever  she  was  able  to  do 
so,"  says  her  sister, ''  her  book  on  the  Hebrews  was 
generally  her  subjecl  ;  she  reserved  all  her  strength 
for  that — writing,  or  correcting  what  she  had  pre- 
viously wiitten,  or  searching  works,  especially  the 
Buok.  She  even  gave  up  almost  all  correspondence 
with  friends,  that  her  little  remaining  power  to  hold 
a  pen  might  be  devoted  to  Ilim  of  whom  she  felt 
tiiat  that  epistle  especially  testified."  And,  on 
March    14,   she    herself   writes   to    the    lion.    Mrs. 

C ,  thus :  "  I  thought  you  would  like  one  line 

to  know  that,  in  spite  of  increasing  weakness,  Heb. 
ix.  is  done  and  chapter  x.  begun.  I  feel  it  is  an  ef- 
fort to  do  it,  but  I  am  anxious  to  do  what  I  can, 
while  I  can." 

One  of  her  earliest  labours  of  love  had  been  the 
aiding  of  the  Irish  Missions.  With  that  steadfast- 
ness of  purpose  which  characterised  all  her  efforts, 
she  had  sustained  this  agency,  year  by  year,  with  a 
zeal  which  time  only  deej)ened.  "  Thank  you,  a 
thousand  times,"  are  her  closing  words  regarding  it, 
"for   all    voiir  love    and    thounlits   of  me.     I  have 


A     BALM.  351 

been,  to  my  own  foelings,  at  the  very  point  of 
death,  but  just  now  have  rallied  again  a  little,  and 
seize   on    the    opportunity  for   sending   my  money. 

Dear  Gr has  kindly  undertaken  the  care  of  my 

Scripture-reader  (d.  v.)  for  the  future.  1  feel  a  little, 
sending  it  for  the  last  time — the  flesh  is  so  very 
weak.  But,  thank  GolI,  I  am  not  so  spiritually 
crushed  and  kept  down,  now  that  the  body  is  freer 
from    pain.      I   knew    it   was    physical    depression. 

Exod.  vi.  9   seemed  exactly  to  suit  me.     Di'.  • 

has  plainly  told  me,  that  with  disease  so  '  active'  as  it 
was  when  he  last  tried  my  chest,  it  was  impossible 
to  tell  how  soon  it  might  do  its  work.  I  can  testify 
to  God's  faithfulness  throughout,  and  have  only 
been  crushed  through  intense  weakness  and  bodily 
suflFering  in  myself." 

And  one  or  two  other  messages  likewise  engaged 
her   pen.     "  I  cannot  refrain,"   she  writes   to  Miss 

G ,  March   9,   "from   trying   to   send   you   this 

evening  a  text  which  has  seemed  very  full  of  beauty 
to  me  lately,  Heb.  ix.  24,  Christ  '  appearing'  in  the 
p!  esence  of  God  for  us.  The  Greek  is  to  '  appear, 
or  shew  one's-self.'  Don't  you  think  there  is  some- 
thing very  touching  in  the  idea,  that  it  is  enough 
that  Jesus  should  show  Hin;k§elf  to  God  for  us '{ 
That  is  the  idea  the  words  give  me  ;  and  I  have 
found  it  very  sweet — as  if  the  sight  of  Jesus  quite 
satisfied  the  Father.  And  then  to  feel  it  is  on  our 
behalf  He  is  there  !  But  I  am  getting  too  tired  to 
wiite  any  more,  and  will  only  add  very  fondest  love. 
Prav  for  me.  that  I  mav  not  '  faint.'  " 


852  M  K  M  O  I  R     OF     A  .     L .     NEWTON. 

And  to  another,  who  luul  been  bereaved  :  "  The 
exprossicm — be  it  ever  .so  hasty — of  the  love  and 
sympathy  which  I  feel  to  you  and  each  of  you  just 
now  as  fellow-nieiiibers  in  Christ's  body,  must  not 
bo  withheld,  though  it  be  given  with  all  the  iuiir- 
mity  of  poor  frail  humanity  !  Jesus  is  your  real 
Fountain  of  comfort ;  and  fnends  at  best  can  only  be 
channels,  and  rills,  and  little  streams,  to  convey  to 
you  some  of  Ilis  overflowing  consolation.  God 
Himself  bless,  and  keep,  and  comfort,  and  shine 
upon  you !" 

And  again  to  another  :  "  I  am  anxious  to  scribble 
n  few  words  to  you  as  best  I  can.  When  I  have 
been  able,  I  have  been  tliinking  of  the  New  Covenant 
— its  marvellous  perfection,  and  the  very  wonderful 
state  it  places  us  in.  If  we  only  believed  it,  I  can 
liardly  conceive  how  wo  could  be  happier.  But  it 
strikes  me  now,  in  getting  nearer  views  of  eternity, 
how  little  we  know  of  tiue  simple  faith.  I  can't 
express  it ;  but  I  do  so  feel  it.  However,  I  must 
stop :  ray  writing  will  show  how  weak  I  am  !" 

About  the  middle  of  ]\Iarch  she  was  once  more 
prostrated.  "  I  am  again,''  she  writes,  "  as  weak  as 
r  can  be.  I  think  I  decidedly  decline ;  and  my 
hopes  lessen  of  any  reviving — which  I  had  fancied  I 
vhouM  have  liked,  if  I  might  have  had  it,  just  for  a 
little  while."     And,  a  few  days   later,  to  the  Hon. 

il;  s,  C :    "  The    frequent   shortness   of  breath, 

which  has  been  more  trying  me  lately,  is  what  chiefly 
makes  mc  feel  the  uncertainty  I  do  about  life." 
And,  again,  to  an'Mher:   "My  tliroat  has  lately  be- 


C  O  N  V  E  U  S  A  T  I  O  N  .  353 

come  extremely  painful  at  times;  and  I  have,  ia  con- 
sequence, entirely  lost  my  voice." 

"  I  wish,-'  said  a  fnend  who  was  visiting  her  one 
day,  "I  could  take  that  pain  and  suffer  it  for 
you." 

"  But  you  know,"  replied  dear  Adelaide,  witli  a 
smile  of  patient  meekness  which  her  friend  says  she 
never  will  forget,  "  you  know  that  if  I  am  to  reign 
with  Jesus,  I  must  be  conformed  to  His  image  in  Hia 
sufferings  also  and  in  His  death." 

She  used  to  lie  upon  the  sofa,  witli  her  eyes  fixed 
upward  and  her  lips  moving.  Only  occasionally  she 
would  whisper  some  brief  word.  "All  is  bright 
yonder  !"  she  said  one  evening.  The  "  glory  to  be 
revealed,"  seemed  chiefly  to  absorb  her  thoughts. 
"  Perhaps,"  was  her  remark,  on  another  occasion,  "  as 
believers  in  a  coming  Redeemer,  we  ought  hardly  to 
let  death  dwell  on  our  minds." 

"  I  do  not  find  the  same  comfort,"  she  said  one 
morning,  "  from  isolated  texts  as  I  once  did."  "  The 
last  large  portion  of  Scripture  which  I  read  to  her," 
writes  one  of  her  sisters,  ■'  was  the  Book  of  Deute- 
ronomy, in  which  she  particularly  delighted.  As  I 
was  reading  it  this  last  time,  she  seemed  to  '  revel' 
(as  she  used  to  express  it)  in  the  view  of  God's  char- 
acter which  she  always  gained  from  it.  If  I  paused 
at  any  particular  verse,  she  would  inquire  wliy  that 
single  sentence  arrested  me,  and  would  add — 'You 
should  look  at  the  grand  whole.'  " 

At  intervals  she  revived  a  little,  and  was  able  to 
enter  into  a  whispering  conversation.    "His  dealings 
30* 


351  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

with  me  are  so  mysterious,"  she  said  on  one  of  tliose 
occasions,  "so  unlike  anything  I  ever  anticipated! 
He  keeps  me  in  such  perfect  peace  !  I  can  only 
think  of  the  words,  '  He  shall  carry  the  lambs  in  His 
bosom' — lift  them  up,  and  take  them  quite  out  of 
reach  of  the  wolf,  so  that  they  shall  not  even  hear 
his  roaring." 

And,  another  time,  she  said ;  "  It  is  wonderfifl  how 
little  1  have  be^'U  tempted  by  Satan.  But  the  Lord 
*  stayeth  His  rougli  wind  in  the  day  of  His  east  wind  :' 
when  there  is  great  bodily  suffering,  He  does  not  let 
Satan  liarass  me." 

In  one  of  her  last  brief  notes,  slie  wrote  to  the 

Hon.  Mrs.   C thus :    "  I   hope   you    have   got 

your  Hebrew  Bible,  or,  at  all  events,  your  German, 
and  will  enrich  me  with  some  of  the  exquisite 
things  you  get  out  of  it.  I  should  like  to  send  you 
those  words  to  think  of — '  Making  nieloily  in  your 
heart  to  the  Lord.'  How  sweet  the  occupation  of 
singing  to  Him  !  (Ps.  cv.  2) — and  it  just  occurs  to 

me  how  nice  an  opportunity  you  and have  got 

for  it,  whilst  shut  out  from  more  active  service.  It 
is  the  greatest  comfort  to  ine  often  to  feel  sure  it  is 

fragrant  to  Jesus.     Will  you  give  Eph.  i.  12  to 

from  me  ?  It  is  such  a  precious  verse  for  a  sick- 
room ;  for,  when  we  can  absolutely  neither  write, 
nor  speak,  nor  work  at  anything,  we  are  '  to  the 
praise  of  His  glory'  still,  whilst  lying  'trusting  in 
Christ.'  " 

And  in  another  note  she  bids  a  touching  farewell 
to  a  humble  saint,  thus  : — 


a    farewell.  866 

"AIy  Dearest  M , 

"I  iiinst  say  good-bye  iu  writing,  as  it  is  so  im- 
possible for  us  now  to  meet  in  the  flesh.  What  a 
wonderful  thing  our  union  is  in  the  True  Vine ! 
Oh,  that  we  may  get  daily  closer  together  iu  Jesus ! 
Does  He  not  seem  to  you  every  day  to  be  more  and 
more  your  'All  :uid  iu  all  ^ — the  lieloved  on  whom 
we  leah  every  ste[)  of  our  way  in  coming  up  from  the 
wilderness. 

"  '  I  travel  through  a  desert  drear  and  wild, 

Yet  is  1113'  heart  with  such  sweet  thoughts  beguiled 
Of  Him  on  wliom  I  lean — ray  strength,  my  stay, 
I  can  forget  the  sorrows  of  the  way.' 

It  really  does  put  sad  an  1  gloomy  thoughts  quite 
away,  to  realize  tke  presence  of  Ilim  whom  our  soul 
loveth. 

"I  was  thinking  to-day  of  Cant.  viii.  14,  and 
especially  of  '  the  mountains  of  spices.'  It  appears 
to  me  as  if  tliJit  verse  implied,  that  it  is  when  we 
are  highest  and  farthest  up  the  mountains,  earthly 
things  look  so  small  (as  they  gradually  recede  from 
our  sight)  that  at  length  the  only  object  we  seem  to 
care  about  is  seeing  Jesus  again !  They  are  moun- 
tains of  spices,  full  of  sweetness;  but  still  we  are 
not  satisfied  until  we  awake  after  His  likeness,  and 
see  Ilim  face  to  face  !  AVill  you  constantly  pray 
that  I  may  be  ever  ready  to  meet  my  precious 
Saviour  when  the  appointed  time  comes,  and  '  be 
found  of  Iliin  in  peace,  without  sj)ut  and  blame- 
less V     The  verse  I  will  specially  ask  you  to  plead 


350  51  E  M  O  I  K     OK     A  .     L .     N  E  W  TON. 

for  ine  is  1  Tliess.  v.  23,  that  I  may  be  '  preserved 
blameless' — kept  from  falling,  or  from  growing  cold 
or  languid. 

"  Oh  !  may  the  Spirit  of  our  God  take  some  live 
coals  from  off  the  altar,  and  set  our  he.arts  on  fire 
with  love  to  Jesus  ! 

"  Ever,  my  dearest  M ,  your  own  affectionate 

sister  in  Him, 

''A.  L.  Newton." 

About  four,  one  morning,  three  weeks  or  so  before 
her  deatli,  she  was  talking  with  one  of  her  sisters  about 
the  ways  of  the  Lord  towards  her.  "  Do  you  think 
you  must  go?"  she  said,  as  her  sister  was  leaving, 
afraid  of  her  exhausting  herself.  "  I  have  been  so 
little  able  to  talk  lately,  that  it  is  quite  a  pleasui-e. 
But  the  pain  has  been  so  intense.  Oh  !  there  is 
something  so  inconceivably  precious  in  the  firm  con- 
viction, that,  as  to  one's  safety,  it  is  all  done !  When 
you  draw  near,  or  feci  drawing  near,  to  the  end,  it  is 
nothing  but  the  great  foundation-realities  of  the  Gos- 
pel which  will  do — one  seems  to  care  about  nothing 
else ;  it  is  just  Christ's  finished  work,  nothing  else, 
which  will  satisfy  you  then." 

"  I  got  up  again  to  go,"  says  her  sister,  ''  for  she 
coughed  so  sadly;  and  though  it  was  hard  to  tear 
one's-self  away,  I  thought  it  cruel  to  stay.  But  she 
almost  kept  me,  saying,  'There  is  something  so  un- 
speakably precious  in  speaking  of  Ilni  we  love,  re- 
membering Ilim  in  the  night-watches.'" 

It  is  recorded  of  Legh   Riclnnond,  that,  the  last 


"  R  O  C  K  -  L  I  K  K     P  K  A  C  K  ."  357 

fortniij^lit  of  his  life,  lie  "  was  very  silent,  and  ap- 
poareil  constantly  in  prayer  and  meditation,  waiting 
his  dismissal  and  the  end  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage. 
Nothing  seemed  to  disturb  him,  and  he  seemed  to 
realize  that  blessed  word,  '  Thou  .wilt  keep  him  ia 
perfect  peace,  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  thee.'  "  Veiy 
similar  was  the  closing  fortnight  of  dear  Adelaide's 
course.  "  It  looked  like  heaven,"  says  one  of  her 
sisters.  "She  seemed  alrea.ly  there  in  spirit  though 
treading  our  vale  of  tears.  There  was  nothing  of  tri- 
umph :  but  such  solid,  rock-like  peace  I  scarcely  hope 
ever  to  see  again.  As  I  used  to  close  her  room-door 
and  sit  silently  beside  her,  she  little  able  to  speak,  or 
even  to  listen  to  speaking  or  reading,  yet  '  looking 
heaven' — I  could  not  but  feel  that  we  were  three, 
and  Jesus  in  our  midst.  '  lliin !  Him  !'  she  once 
said,  alluding  to  Rev.  i.  5,  G,  which  I  had  begun  to 
quote,  'I  cannot  get  any  further — that  is  enough — 
Him!'" 

One  of  those  mornings,  very  early,  she  lay,  with  a 
happy  smile  on  her  worn  countenance,  meditating 
on  the  chapter  (Tit.  iii.)  which  had  been  read  to  her 
the  previous  evening.  "  '  According  to  His  mercy 
He  saved  us,' "  she  slowly  repeated  twice,  alluding 
to  v.  5  ;  "  '  According  to  His  mercy  He  saved  us.' 
K  I  can  say  no  more,  angels  and  devils  too  shall  hear 
me  say,  '  Mercy  I  mercy  !  According  to  His  mercy 
He  saved  us !'  " 

A  few  days  before  he  died,  Payson — himself  also 
enduring  extreme  bodily  suffering — said  :  "  My  God 
is  in  this  room.     T  see  Him  I     Oh  !  how  lovely  is  the 


358  MEMOIR     OF     A.     L.     NKWTON. 

siglit !  how  glorious  does  He  appear  !  wortliv  of  (en 
thousand  hearts,  if  I  had  so  many  to  give  !"  Deai 
Adelaide  "  seemed  now  quite  willing,"  says  her  sister, 
"to  relinquish  seeing  ministers  and  Christian  friends, 
or  getting  letters,  though  formerly  all  the  three  had 
been  helps  she  felt  solitary  without.  The  Lord's  Per- 
son seemed  wholly  to  absorb  her,  as  if  she  saw  llim, 
heard  Ilim,  lived  with  Him.  Certainly  lie  was  not 
only  far  dearer,  but  appeared  to  be  nearer,  to  her 
than  were  any  of  us." 

On  a  Saturday  niglit  (April  15),  about  ten  days 
previous  to  her  departure,  one  of  her  sisters,  who  was 
sitting  up  in  the  aljoining  room  (for  Adelaide  always 
preferred  being  alone),  went  in  to  mend  her  fire. 

"  What  thought  have  you  had,"  whispered  Ade- 
laide, observing  her,  "  which  makes  you  look  so 
happy  r 

"  That  word  in  the  65th  Psalm,  '  Praise  waiteth 
for  thee,  0  Lord,  in  Sion.' " 

"  Oh  !  I  remember  your  thoughts  about  Sunday 
always.  I  hope  you  will  have  a  very  happy  one  to- 
morrow." 

The  next  evening,  on  her  sister's  return  from 
church,  the  thought  seemed  fresh  in  ber  mind.  "I 
have  been  meditating  so  much  all  day,"  she  said, 
"  on  that  precious  Psalm  !" 

"  1  '-^ii't  you  think,"  asked  ibe  other,  "  that  its  full 
meaning,  especially  verses  1  and  4,  never  can  be 
reahzed  here?  Glimpses  we  may  have  ;  but  'praise 
waits,'  does  it  not  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Adelaide,  turning  her  bright  eye  up- 


"higher    up."  359 

jrards  ;  "  we  must  go  higher  up  to  know  wliat  it  is  to 
be  'satisfied'  with  the  gooilness  of  Ills  house." 

"How  glorious  it  will  be  to  have  Jesus  'declaring' 
His  Father's  '  name'  to  us  !     Man  spoils  it  so." 

"  Yes,"  was  lier  reply  ;  "  and  the  Hebrew  is  very 
striking  ;  it  is,  '  He  reckons  up — enters  into  the  mi- 
nutest details  ;'  and  He  will  '  praise  in  the  midst  of 
the  congregation.'  It  will  not  be  long,  G ,  be- 
fore He  comes  again,  and  with  our  bodies,  knowing 
each  other,  we  shall  stand  there." 

The  same  evening,  lier  mother  "  enjoyed  a  most 
delightful  conversation  with  her."  Few  words  she 
was  able  to  utter  ;  and  these  few  only  in  a  whisper. 
"  Dear  mamma,"  she  said  at  its  close,  "  here  is  my 
parting  gift  to  you — '  Bbr  one  look  to  self,  take  ten 
of  Jesus.' " 

A  day  or  two  afterwards,  one  of  her  sisters  was 
reading  to  her  the  90th  Psalm.  "  Alluding,"  says 
her  sister,  "to  v.  8,  which  we  had  talked  over  seven 
years  before,  she  asked  if  I  luni  made  up  my  miud 
about  it.  Then,  passing  to  v.  1 7,  and  slowly  repeat- 
ing the  words — '  xVnd  let  the  beauty  of  the  Lord 
our  God  be  upon  us,'  she  said,  '  What  a  sublime 
prayer  !  how  unlike  it  ours  are !'  " 

Another  morning,  the  sister  who  used  always  to 
take  up  her  breakfast,  found  her  deeply  affected. 
"  It  is  only  the  parting  from  all  you  clear  creatures," 
she  said,  wiping  the  tear  from  her  eye.  "  But  never 
mind,"  she  added,  a  few  moments  afterwards,  with  a 
brightening  smile,  "  this  corruption  nmst  put  on  in- 
comiption," 


800  MEMOin     OF     A.     L.     NEWTON. 

The  following  Fi-iday  (April  21),  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Dallas  (of  Wonslon)  came  from  Hull  lo  see  her. 
Naming  some  featm-es  of  death,  he  inquired  if  the 
near  prospect  of  it  troubled  her.  "  Oh  !"  she  re- 
plied, turning  her  e}-^  towards  him  and  sweetly  smil- 
ing, "there  are  many  things  about  it  wliieh  I  shrink 
from  ;  but,  you  know,  I  need  not  look  at  them." 
*'  Ho  told  me,"  says  her  sister,  "  that  nothing  would 
ever  efface  from  his  memory  the  impression  of  that 
brief  visit — scai'cely  ever  had  he  witnessed  such  ma- 
tuiity  of  faith  and  of  love."  And  her  mother  adds  : 
"  Tie  was  much  atfected,  and  said  how  much  he  re- 
joiced that  he  had  come." 

The  last  Sabbath  of  her  life  was  one  of  great 
agony.  In  the  morning,  she  had  been  jotting  down 
in  pencil  some  thoughts  on  Ileb.  xi.  1,  2 — intending 
it  for  her  book  then  passing  through  the  [iress ;  and, 
on  her  sister's  return  from  morning-service,  she  had 
put  a  "small  piece  of  paper"  into  her  hand,  saying 
eagerly,  "  I  want  you  to  tell  me  what  you  think  of 
it."  In  the  afternoon,  she  was  seized  with  a  violent 
cramp.  "  She  was  in  great  suffering,"  says  her 
sister  ;  "  but  not  a  word  or  look  of  impatience  then 
or  at  any  other  time  escaped  her."  And  another 
sister  says  :  "Three  times  that  afternoon  and  even- 
ing, she  told  me  of  her  thankfulness  in  being  kept 
from  any  spiritual  clouds." 

"  Affliction  is  ours,"  says  Herbert,  speaking  of  the 
family-discipline — 

"We  are  the  trees  whom  shaking  fastens  more, 
AVhilc  hlusl'ring  winds  destroy  the  wanton  bowers, 


■I  UK    SI  1. 1:  .\  r   T  i:  A  K.  301 

And  rutile  all  their  ciiriuus  kuots  aud  store. 

My  God,  so  temper  joy  aud  woe, 

That  thy  bright  beams  may  tame  thy  bow." 

I'ear  A'lelaide's  "  woo,"  arising  from  oxtroine  bodily 
suffering,  was  indeed  "tempered"  with  a  heavenly 
"joy."  "As  I  watched  lier  from  day  to  day,"  says 
her  sister,  "  I  felt  quite  overcome,  to  see  how  she 
literally  rejoiced  in  the  tribulation  of  body  which 
Jesus  had  appointed  for  her.  A  silent  tear  was  the 
only  expression  of  pain  which  ever  came  from  lier. 
I  was  really  astonished  at  the  long-continued  grace 
she  manifested  in  this  particular,  and  could  only 
glorify  God  in  her,  being  often  reminded  of  the 
remarks  she  used  to  make  about  Phil.  i.  29,  how  it 
is  'given'  to  the  believer  'in  the  behalf  of  Christ' 
to  sutler  for  His  sake.  '  A  gift'  she  wouM  say, 
'a  gift !'  and  she  did  indeed  accept  it  with  a  loving, 
acquiescing  heart — a  will  which  delighted  in  llis 
will — so  that  the  common  term  of  'resignation'  had 
really  in  her  case  no  meaning." 

Her  patience  appeared  also  in  another  trial.  "  All 
through  her  illness,"  her  sister  says,  "she  had  been 
^^o  independent  of  help  that  she  would  let  nothino-  of 
any  kind  be  done  for  her,  however  costly  the  strug<»-Ie 
which  enabled  her  to  do  it  for  herself.  But  when  at 
last  she  could  struggle  no  more  and  she  was  oblio-ed 
to  be  helped  as  you  would  help  an  intaiit,  she  never 
uttered  anything  like  complaint,  but  most  humblv, 
and  gratefully,  and  lovingly  aecejited  our  services." 
"Ah  !"  she  would  say,  with  a  kindly  smile,  to  the 
faithful  old  family-nnrse,  as  she  was  washing  her  or 
31 


362  MKMOIK     OF     A.     L.     NEW  TOW. 

doinc,^  any  uther  act  of  service,  "  a  cup  of  cold  water 
eliall  in  no  wise  lose  its  reward." 

On  the  Monday  afternoon,  she  asked  her  sister  to 
read  the  second  chapter  of  Malachi.  "  I  rather  won- 
dered," says  the  latter ;  "  but,  not  liking  to  make  her 
speak,  I  began  to  read,  when  she  half  looked  up  and 
said,  '  I  meant  the  third.'  And  that  was  the  last 
portion,"  her  sister  adds,  "of  her  precious  com- 
panion which  I  ever  enjoyed  with  her.  For  three 
weeks  she  had  scarcely  ever  been  able  to  read  it  for 
herself;  but  often  I  was  struck  by  the  eager  way  in 
which  her  bright  eye  followed  it,  if,  when  trying  to 
place  her  food  or  medicine  conveniently  near  to  her, 
I  ever  moved  it  even  a  very  little  further  otf  than 
wheie  she  had  put  it." 

The  next  forenoon,  after  a  few  minutes'  sleep,  slie 
said,  "  I  will  get  up ;  I  think  I  can  write  some  more 
of  '  Uebrews ;'  my  mind  is  so  full  ;  give  me  my  Bi- 
ble." And  for  a  little  she  sat  with  her  pencil  in  her 
hand,  but  unable  from  exhaustion  to  put  it  to  paper. 

A  faintuess,  however,  came  on  ;  and,  after  another 
short  sleep,  she  awoke  with  an  excruciating  pain  m 
her  head.  At  four  p.m.  this  gave  way  to  a  distress- 
ing convulsion,  which  "  gave  us  all  (says  her  sister), 
as  we  gathered  round  her,  the  feeling  that  death  had 
seized  her."  For  about  twenty  minutes  her  distress 
was  agonizing ;  yet  "  even  with  the  grasp  of  that 
iron  hand  upon  her  (her  sister  adds),  her  expression 
of  countenance  never  altered  in  the  least,  nor  did 
her  consciousness  leave  her  for  a  moment." 

The   physician   caine   in,  and  administered  Bome 


DISMISSAL.  363 

medicine ;  and  the  violence  of  tlie  spasms  subsided. 
As  be   retired,  sbe  said    to  one   of  her  sisters,    "  I 

have  just  been  asking  Dr. how  long  he  thinks 

I  may  continue  in  this  state;  and  he  told  me  it 
could  not  be  long."  "For  your  sake,"  said  the 
other,  "  1  cannot  wish  it  should  be."  "  I,"  Ade- 
laide rej)lied,  "  have  no  wish  about  it." 

A  little  before  eight  she  was  lifted  into  bed,  thank- 
ing those  around  her  for  their  tender  care.  About 
nine,  it  seemed  as  if  the  painful  struggle  were 
again  coming  on  ;  and  she  begged  that  the  physician 
might  be  called,  saying,  "  Surely  the  bitterness  of 
death  is  past !"  But  she  was  spared  any  further 
conflict.  Till  four  in  the  morning  she  was  still  and 
calm — not  uttering  a  word,  t bough  apparently  quite 
conscious.  At  length  her  hapjiy  spirit  was  evidently 
departing.  "  As  she  leaned  against  the  pillows  which 
supported  her,"  says  her  sister,  "  I  fancied  she  would 
have  spoken  to  us,  had  she  been  spoken  to  ;  but  no 
one  broke  the  solemn  silence."  A  smile  of  heavenly 
peace  rested  on  her  pale  face — when,  about  five, 
her  breathing  ceased  so  insensibly,  that  not  till  the 
physician  who  supported  her  had  said,  "  She  is  here 
no  longer,"  did  those  around  her  know  that  she  had 
gone  to  be  with  the  Lord. 

It  was  on  April  26,  1854,  and  as  she  had  just 
complete  1  her  thirtieth  year. 

"I  bless  thee,"  said  Polycarp,  as  he  stood  at  the 
Btake,  "  that  thou  hast  counted  me  worthy  of  this 
day  and  of  this  hour,  to  receive  my  portion  in  the 


30-1  MEMOIR     OY     A.     L.     N' K  W  T  0  X  . 

uuuiber  of  the  niartvTs,  in  the  cup  of  Christ."  FXar 
Adelaide  Newton  had  now  finished  her  "  liviuj^ 
martyrdom,"  and  finished  right  worthily. 

Lord  Bacon  has  remarked  that,  "when  a  man  has 
obtained  worthy  ends  and  expectations,  the  sweetest 
canticle  is,  '  Nunc  dimittis.'  "  Beloved  Adelaide  is 
gone  upward,  solaced  by  this  canticle.  "  Yet  a  little 
while,"  and  she  shall  receive  her  crown,  which  the 
Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  to  her  ''at 
that  day." 

Our  sister's  fight  is  over, 

Her  arduous  race  ia  run ; 
'Twas  by  TuY  grace  and  power 

The  prize  of  life  she  won. 

Soon  wilt  Thou  come  in  glory, 

With  all  thy  Church  to  shine, 
Our  bodies  raised  in  honour 

And  beauty,  Lord,  like  thine 

Then,  then,  we'll  shout  still  louder 
The  song  which  now  we  sing — 

0  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ? 
0  death,  where  is  thy  sting  ? 


TPK  END. 


I  Srmmjinr-Siwc*    UbtJir, 


0 


"II!"'" 


2  01043  5396 


) 


1  }■'"!!! 


i   '.[ii*^m\ 


i 


